Monuments in French Polynesia

Monuments

Remains on Naku HivaAncient cults left behind beautiful remains in Polynesia. Ralph Braumer / age fotostock;

The Marquesas are rich in many archaeological remains dating from 1100 to 1400 AD. A pae pae is a paved area used for meetings and important gatherings, and the tohua is a vast paved place in which festivals and events took place. The marae, an ancestral place of worship (either for the family or the whole tribal community), was often placed on a pae pae:, there would be an altar (ahu), a priest's hut and a few statues, next to which stood a sacred banyan tree. The most important maraes had several terraces, on hillsides that were dedicated to sacrifices and ritual cannibal feasts.