American Tactical victory
114-661: American Strategic Defeat East Coast Great Lakes / Saint Lawrence River West Indies / Gulf Coast Pacific Ocean The Nuku Hiva Campaign was an armed conflict between the United States and the Polynesian inhabitants of Nuku Hiva during the War of 1812 . It occurred in 1813, following Captain David Porter 's decision to sail his fleet to the island for repairs before continuing his raid against British shipping. Upon arrival,
228-434: A colonial context, the most powerful member of either a confederation or a federation of such tribal, clan or village chiefs would be referred to as a paramount chief . Classical sources of information about tribal societies are external descriptions such as from Greco-Roman ethnography , which identified societies, surrounding the societies of the ethnographers, as tribal. States and colonialism , particularly in
342-743: A king whose title is also recognized by the Bolivian government. The band is the fundamental unit of governance among the First Nations in Canada (formerly called "Indians"). Most bands have elected chiefs, either directly elected by all members of the band, or indirectly by the band council, these chiefs are recognized by the Canadian state under the terms of the Indian Act . As well, there may be traditional hereditary or charismatic chiefs, who are usually not part of
456-515: A no-confidence vote in the Assembly of French Polynesia on 31 August after the longtime former president of French Polynesia, Gaston Flosse , hitherto opposed to independence, sided with his long enemy Oscar Temaru to topple the government of Gaston Tong Sang. Oscar Temaru, however, had no stable majority in the Assembly of French Polynesia, and new territorial elections were held in February 2008 to solve
570-530: A xenophobic discourse and fanning the flame of nationalism. All the indigenous languages of French Polynesia are Polynesian . French Polynesia has been linguistically diverse since ancient times, with each community having its own local speech variety. These dialects can be grouped into seven languages on the basis of mutual intelligibility : Tahitian , Tuamotuan , Rapa , Austral , North Marquesan , South Marquesan , and Mangarevan . Some of these, especially Tuamotuan, are really dialect continua formed by
684-602: A South American port. The American fleet that went to the Marquesas included USS Essex and the liberated American whaler Barclay , and nine captured British whalers: Seringapatam (22 guns), Greenwich (10 guns), Montezuma (18 guns), Essex Junior (16 guns), Hector (11 guns), Charlton (10 guns), Sir Andrew Hammond , and Catherine and New Zealander , both of eight guns. In total, Captain Porter had just over 200 United States Navy officers and sailors, accompanied by
798-624: A US$ 14 billion industry nationwide. This has been imitated in many of the respective states that still have indigenous American tribes. The money that this generates has engendered some political scandal. For example, the Tigua tribe, which fled their ancestral lands in New Mexico during the Pueblo revolt of 1680, and who then settled on land in El Paso County, Texas , has paid for a low probable return to
912-590: A broader popular assembly in "parliamentary" cultures, the war chief (may be an alternative or additional post in war time), the hereditary chief, and the politically dominant medicineman . The term is usually distinct from chiefs at lower levels, such as village chief (geographically defined) or clan chief (an essentially genealogical notion). The descriptive "tribal" requires an ethno-cultural identity (racial, linguistic, religious etc.) as well as some political (representative, legislative, executive and/or judicial) expression. In certain situations, and especially in
1026-705: A colony in 1888 (eight years after the Windward Islands) after many native resistances and conflicts called the Leewards War , lasting until 1897. In the 1880s, France claimed the Tuamotu Archipelago , which formerly belonged to the Pōmare Dynasty , without formally annexing it. Having declared a protectorate over Tahuata in 1842, the French regarded the entire Marquesas Islands as French. In 1885, France appointed
1140-476: A deconcentrated subdivision of the government of French Polynesia. These are called circonscriptions ('districts'). The head of a circonscription is the tavana hau , known as administrateur territorial in French ('territorial administrator'), but the Tahitian title tavana hau is most often used. The president of French Polynesia's government appoints the tavana hau , who directly reports to
1254-507: A foot away, nearly decapitated the warrior. The assault on the fort was successful and Downes reported that his men had killed five enemies and that the Te I'i massacred the wounded with clubs. Lieutenant Downes also said that he was very surprised that his allies did not eat the dead; instead they used their bones to make necklaces and fan handles. Over the next few days the chiefs of the Happah arrived at
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#17328765086331368-453: A governor and established a general council, thus giving it the proper administration for a colony. The islands of Rimatara and Rūrutu unsuccessfully lobbied for British protection in 1888, so in 1889 they were annexed by France. Postage stamps were first issued in the colony in 1892. The first official name for the colony was Établissements de l'Océanie (Establishments in Oceania); in 1903
1482-418: A gunboat in 1838. In 1842, Tahiti and Tahuata were declared a French protectorate , to allow Catholic missionaries to work undisturbed. The capital of Papeetē was founded in 1843. In 1880, France annexed Tahiti, changing the status from that of a protectorate to that of a colony . The island groups were not officially united until the establishment of the French protectorate in 1889. After France declared
1596-664: A large land territory (particularly in the larger islands such as Tahiti or Nuku Hiva ) or because they are made up of atolls distant from each other (particularly in the Tuamotu archipelago), which led to the creation of associated communes for each inhabited atoll. 17 communes (out of French Polynesia's 48 communes) have banded together in three separate communities of communes . These indirectly elected intercommunal councils are still relatively new in French Polynesia, and unlike in metropolitan France and its overseas regions it
1710-772: A local assembly and government, French Polynesia is not in a free association with France, like the Cook Islands with New Zealand . As a French overseas collectivity, the local government has no competence in justice, university education, security and defense. Services in these areas are directly provided and administered by the Government of France, including the National Gendarmerie (which also polices rural and border areas in metropolitan France), and French military forces . The collectivity government retains control over primary and secondary education, health, town planning, and
1824-424: A match to the magazine, and blow them all to eternity. " A former Royal Navy sailor by the name of Robert White, was brought before Porter, having been accused of mutinous talk about Essex Junior . White denied the accusations, now confirmed by other sailors, infuriating Porter. Porter thus drew his sword, face turning red, and yelled: "Run you scoundrel! Run for your life!" White ran off, jumped overboard, and swam to
1938-474: A mayor in charge of managing local affairs within the commune. Municipal elections occur every six years on the same date as in the rest of the French Republic (the last municipal elections took place in 2020 ). 30 communes are further subdivided in 98 associated communes which have each a delegate mayor and a registry office. These 30 communes were subdivided in associated communes either because they have
2052-428: A nearby canoe. The remaining 250 crew members remained loyal and Essex made sail on 9 December 1813 to continue raiding. Most of the fleet left, though Sir Andrew Hammond , Seringapatam , and Greenwich remained at Nuku Hiva with Lieutenant John Gamble, two midshipmen, nineteen sailors and six prisoners, with the prisoners and some of the sailors being British nationals. The situation was quiet until on 7 May 1814,
2166-450: A number of them were restored as politically neutral constituencies of the state by the government of Yoweri Museveni . Such figures as the kabaka of Buganda and the omukama of Toro typify the Ugandan chieftaincy class. El caciquismo is a distorted form of government through which a political leader has total control of a rural society expressed as political clientelism . This concept
2280-403: A patchwork of different dialects. The distinction between languages and dialects is notoriously difficult to establish, and so some authors may view two varieties as dialects of the same language, while others may view them as distinct languages. In this way, North and South Marquesan are often grouped together as a single Marquesan language, and Rapa is often viewed as part of Austral subfamily. At
2394-522: A protectorate over Tahiti in 1842 and fought a war with Tahiti (1844–1847) , the British and French signed the Jarnac Convention in 1847, declaring that the kingdoms of Raiatea , Huahine and Bora Bora were to remain independent from both powers and that no single chief was to be allowed to reign over the entire archipelago. France eventually broke the agreement, and the islands were annexed and became
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#17328765086332508-461: A ridge overlooking the valley but because the Americans were exhausted from a long march, Porter decided to wait until the next morning to attack. The following day was rainy and windy according to reports, moisture had temporarily ruined the gunpowder, so the expedition spent another day resting and waiting for the powder to dry. Finally on November 30, the expedition launched their attack and soon after
2622-528: A second vessel of the Félix Éboué class, ( Philip Bernardino ), is to be deployed in Tahiti to further reinforce France's maritime surveillance capabilities in the region. As of 2021, two smaller port and coastal tugs (RPCs), Maroa and Manini , were also operational in the territory. Flottille 35F of French naval aviation deploys a detachment of three AS 365N Dauphin helicopters in Tahiti. The helicopters carry out
2736-556: A small detachment of no more than twenty marines under the command of Lieutenant John M. Gamble . One of the sailors was the young midshipman David Farragut , later the first United States Navy admiral . (Porter's son David Dixon Porter was the second U.S. Navy admiral.) Additionally, many of the prisoners from the prize enemy ships volunteered for service. Porter arrived off Nuku Hiva, on October 25, 1813 and he renamed it Madison's Island after United States President James Madison . Then Porter began making preparations to establish
2850-483: A status of expanded autonomy for French Polynesia in 2004, failed to secure an absolute majority in the 2004 French Polynesian legislative election , resulting in deadlock at the Assembly of French Polynesia . Flosse's longtime opponent, the pro-independence leader Oscar Temaru , whose pro-independence coalition had won one less seat than Flosse's party in the Assembly, was nonetheless elected president of French Polynesia by
2964-414: A steady grunting of staccato, nonlexical syllables. Tribal chief A tribal chief , chieftain , or headman is a leader of a tribal society or of a chiefdom . There is no definition for "tribe". The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia . Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as an intermediate stage between
3078-723: A total land area of 3,521 square kilometres (1,359 sq mi), scattered over more than 2,000 km (1,200 miles) of ocean. There are 121 islands in French Polynesia and many more islets or motu s around atolls . The highest point is Mount Orohena on Tahiti. It is made up of five archipelagos. The largest and most populated island is Tahiti, in the Society Islands. Aside from Tahiti, some other important atolls, islands, and island groups in French Polynesia are: Ahē , Bora Bora , Hiva ʻOa , Huahine , Maiʻao , Maupiti , Mehetiʻa , Moʻorea , Nuku Hiva , Raʻiātea , Tahaʻa , Tetiʻaroa , Tubuai and Tūpai . French Polynesia
3192-484: A variety of roles in the territory or may be embarked on the frigate Prairial as required. The National Gendarmerie deploys some 500 active personnel and civilians, plus around 150 reservists, in French Polynesia. The patrol boat Jasmin of the Maritime Gendarmerie is also based in the territory and is to be replaced by a new PCG-NG patrol boat in about 2025–2026. The islands of French Polynesia make up
3306-578: Is Native American, although the connection is usually only sentimental and not economic or cultural. Thus, there is some political power in one's ability to claim a Native American connection (as in the Black Seminole ). Because the Nations were sovereign, with treaty rights and obligations, the Wisconsin tribes innovated Indian gaming in 1988, that is, on-reservation gambling casinos, which have since become
3420-454: Is composed of two CN-235 tactical transport aircraft drawn from the Air Force's ET 82 "Maine" transport squadron. As of mid-2024, three principal French Navy vessels are based in the territory, including: the surveillance frigate Prairial , the patrol and support ship Bougainville and Teriieroo to Teriierooiterai , a vessel of the new Félix Éboué class of patrol vessels. In 2026
3534-404: Is home to four terrestrial ecoregions: Marquesas tropical moist forests , Society Islands tropical moist forests , Tuamotu tropical moist forests , and Tubuai tropical moist forests . French Polynesia is divided in five administrative subdivisions ( subdivisions administratives ): The five administrative subdivisions are not local councils; they are solely deconcentrated subdivisions of
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3648-424: Is not mandatory for the communes in French Polynesia to join an intercommunal council. The three intercommunal councils in existence as of 2022, all formed on a voluntary basis, were: These communities of communes, as elsewhere in the French Republic, are not full-fledged territorial collectivities , but only federations of communes. From a legal standpoint, the only territorial collectivities in French Polynesia are
3762-555: The 2013 French Polynesian legislative election by a wide margin, only two weeks before the United Nations re-registered French Polynesia on its list of non-self governing territories. This was interpreted by political analysts as a rejection by French Polynesian voters of Temaru's push for independence as well as the consequence of the socioeconomic crisis affecting French Polynesia after years of political instability and corruption scandals. Gaston Flosse, whose anti-independence party
3876-573: The French municipal elections held in March 2008 , several prominent mayors who were member of the Flosse-Temaru coalition lost their offices in key municipalities of French Polynesia, which was interpreted as a disapproval of the way Gaston Tong Sang, whose party French Polynesian voters had placed first in the territorial elections the month before, had been prevented from becoming president of French Polynesia by
3990-576: The Neolithic stage into the Iron Age , albeit in competition with urban civilisations and empires beginning in the Bronze Age . In the case of tribal societies of indigenous peoples existing within larger colonial and post-colonial states, tribal chiefs may represent their tribe or ethnicity in a form of self-government . The most common types are the chairman of a council (usually of " elders ") and/or
4104-583: The Pueblo people were granted U.S. citizenship, and it was not until 1948 that the Puebloans were granted the right to vote in state elections in New Mexico. In Wisconsin, the Menominee has its own county Menominee County, Wisconsin with special car license plates; 87% of the county's population is Native American. Mainstream Americans often find pride and comfort in realizing that at least part of their ethnic ancestry
4218-526: The South Pacific Ocean . The total land area of French Polynesia is 3,521 square kilometres (1,359 sq mi), with a population of 278,786 (Aug. 2022 census) of which at least 205,000 live in the Society Islands and the remaining population lives in the rest of the archipelago. French Polynesia is divided into five groups of islands: Among its 121 islands and atolls, 75 were inhabited at
4332-692: The Tuāmotu-Gambier administrative division, and the Marquesas Islands administrative division, the 2nd representing much of Tahiti outside Papeete and the Austral Islands administrative subdivision, and the 3rd representing the Leeward Islands administrative subdivision and the south-western suburbs of Papeete. French Polynesia also sends two senators to the French Senate . The defence of
4446-500: The band society of the Paleolithic stage and civilization with centralized, super-regional government based in cities . Anthropologist Elman Service distinguishes two stages of tribal societies: simple societies organized by limited instances of social rank and prestige, and more stratified societies led by chieftains or tribal kings ( chiefdoms ). Stratified tribal societies led by tribal kings are thought to have flourished from
4560-737: The king of the Zulu Nation and the rain queen are politically recognized in South Africa because they derive their status, not only from tribal custom, but also from the Traditional Leadership Clause of the country's current constitution. Some of them are members of the National House of Traditional Leaders . The pre-colonial states that existed in what is today Uganda were summarily abolished following independence from Great Britain . However, following constitutional reforms in 1993,
4674-468: The world music scene in 1992, recorded by French musicologist Pascal Nabet-Meyer with the release of The Tahitian Choir 's recordings of unaccompanied vocal Christian music called himene tārava . This form of singing is common in French Polynesia and the Cook Islands, and is notable for a unique drop in pitch at the end of the phrases, a characteristic formed by several different voices, accompanied by
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4788-590: The 1980s, but in absolute terms their population peaked at the 2007 census, when 24,265 lived in French Polynesia (not counting their children born there). With the local economic crisis, their population declined to 22,278 at the 2012 census, and 22,387 at the 2017 census. At the 1988 census, the last census which asked questions regarding ethnicity, 66.5% of people were ethnically unmixed Polynesians , 7.1% were ethnically Polynesians with light European or East Asian mixing, 11.9% were Europeans (mostly French ), 9.3% were people of mixed European and Polynesian descent,
4902-456: The 2007 census), 0.6% reported a Chinese dialect (41% of which was Hakka ) (down from 1.0% at the 2007 census), and 0.4% another language (more than half of which was English ) (down from 0.5% at the 2007 census). At the same census, 95.2% of people whose age was 15 or older reported that they could speak, read and write French (up from 94.7% at the 2007 census), whereas only 1.3% reported that they had no knowledge of French (down from 2.0% at
5016-462: The 2007 census). 86.5% of people whose age was 15 or older reported that they had some form of knowledge of at least one Polynesian language (up from 86.4% at the 2007 census but down from 87.8% at the 2012 census), whereas 13.5% reported that they had no knowledge of any of the Polynesian languages (down from 13.6% at the 2007 census but up from 12.2% at the 2012 census). French Polynesia appeared in
5130-527: The 2017 census. Tahiti , which is in the Society Islands group, is the most populous island, being home to nearly 69% of the population of French Polynesia as of 2017 . Papeete , located on Tahiti, is the capital of French Polynesia. Although not an integral part of its territory, Clipperton Island was administered from French Polynesia until 2007. Hundreds of years after the Great Polynesian Migration , European explorers began traveling through
5244-478: The American sailors were attacked on the beach by the Te I'i; a sixteen-year-old midshipman was killed along with four sailors while two others escaped, one of whom was wounded. Meanwhile, Gamble was alone on his ship, recovering from his wounded foot, when two war-canoes approached for an attack. The cannon of the ship were pre-loaded so single-handedly Gamble limped from gun to gun, firing them as fast as possible, until
5358-433: The Americans " countless " hogs as a peace offering. A British magazine later said that Porter was guilty of " wantonly murdering unoffending savages " to which the captain replied; " Many may censure my conduct as wanton and unjust.... But let such reflect on our peculiar situation--a handful of men residing among numerous war-like tribes, liable every moment to be attacked by them and all cut off; our only hopes on safety
5472-473: The Americans and Te I'is found themselves in another ambush which they fought off. After that Captain Porter sent the Tai Pi leaders a message advising them to cease hostilities at once or else their villages would be burned. The captain waited for some time and when it became apparent that the message had been ignored, the advance was continued. American forces and the Te I'is eventually won the day when night came and
5586-584: The Americans became involved in a tribal war and allied themselves with the Te I'i people against the Happah and Tai Pi clans. Operations in the Pacific began in early 1813 when Captain Porter entered the Pacific, via Cape Horn , in the thirty-two gun frigate USS Essex . Originally Porter was assigned to rendezvous with two other warships but both encountered enemy resistance before their meeting and Porter went around
5700-564: The Assembly in June 2004 thanks to the votes of two non-aligned Assembly members. This resulted in several years of political instability, as neither the pro- nor the anti-independence camps were assured of a majority, depending on the votes of smaller non-aligned parties representing the interests of the distant islands of French Polynesia (as opposed to Tahiti). Temaru was toppled from the presidency of French Polynesia in October 2004, succeeded by Flosse who
5814-472: The British sailors among the garrison mutinied. First they released the six prisoners and then attacked Fort Madison before taking over Seringapatam and getting away. Gamble was wounded in the foot and he was left adrift in a small boat with four others but they eventually made it to Sir Andrew Hammond . Meanwhile the British interpreter Wilson was arousing trouble with the Te I'i by telling them that Porter would not come back. A few days later on 9 May, six of
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#17328765086335928-665: The French central State. At the head of each administrative subdivision is an administrateur d'État ('State administrator'), generally simply known as administrateur , also sometimes called chef de la subdivision administrative ('head of the administrative subdivision'). The administrateur is a civil servant under the authority of the High Commissioner of the French Republic in French Polynesia in Papeete . Four administrative subdivisions (Marquesas Islands, Leeward Islands, Tuamotu-Gambier, and Austral Islands) each also form
6042-668: The Horn alone. The mission was to harass the British whaling industry off South America and around the Galápagos Islands . For months the Americans cruised the South Seas and they captured several British whalers that they placed under navy command. By October 1813, Essex was in serious need of repairs so Porter decided to head for Nuku Hiva, an island in the Marquesas , fearing that a British squadron would find him if he chose to take refuge in
6156-508: The Indian Act-sanctioned formal government. There were 614 bands in Canada in 2012. There is also a national organization, the Assembly of First Nations , which elects a "national chief" to act as spokesperson of all First Nations bands in Canada. Generally, a tribe or nation is considered to be part of an ethnic group , usually sharing cultural values . For example, the forest-dwelling Chippewa historically built dwellings from
6270-600: The North American continent, it was historically possible to evade the political power of another by migration. The Mingos , for example, were Iroquois who migrated further west to the sparsely populated Ohio Country during the 18th century. Two Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois, Hiawatha and the Great Peacemaker , formulated a constitution for the Iroquois Confederation. The tribes were pacified by units of
6384-541: The Society Islands around AD 300. European encounters began in 1521 when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan , sailing at the service of the Spanish Crown , sighted Puka-Puka in the Tuāmotu-Gambier Archipelago . In 1606 another Spanish expedition under Pedro Fernandes de Queirós sailed through Polynesia sighting an inhabited island on 10 February which they called Sagitaria (or Sagittaria), probably
6498-469: The Te I'i and the Happah warriors began to turn on the Americans which led them to fear that Madisonville would be overrun and the inhabitants massacred. Porter wrote; " I had now no alternative, but to prove our superiority by a successful attack upon the Typees. " Porter organized and led most of his men on a second mission into enemy territory, this time overland to Typee Valley and with limited assistance from
6612-406: The Te I'i. The valley is a dense nine miles across by three miles and was the heartland of the Tai Pi where their villages were located and where they harvested coconut and breadfruit . By making a detour to avoid the heavily defended fort near the coast, Porter could make a surprise attack and use terrain and his superior weapons to their advantage. During one night the column marched to the top of
6726-474: The United States Army in the nineteenth century, and were also subject to forced schooling in the decades afterward. Thus, it is uncommon for today's tribes to have a purely Native American cultural background, and today Native Americans are in many ways simply another ethnicity of the secular American people. Because formal education is now respected, some like Peter MacDonald , a Navajo, left their jobs in
6840-510: The anti-independence camp, and Fritch was excluded from Gaston Flosse's party in September 2015, before founding his own anti-independence party, Tapura Huiraatira , in February 2016. His new party managed to keep a majority in the Assembly of French Polynesia, and Fritch remained president of French Polynesia. Political stability has returned in French Polynesia since the split of the anti-independence camp in 2015–2016. Tapura Huiraatira won 70% of
6954-570: The bark of trees. On the Great Plains , where trees were rare, some tribes typically dwelt in skin-covered tipis , usually acquiring the lodgepoles by trade, while other Plains tribes, such as the Pawnee , built their lodges of earth. The Pueblo people of the Southwest built their dwellings of stone and earth. A chief might be considered to hold all political power, say by oratory or by example. But on
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#17328765086337068-415: The beach for a resupply but upon their arrival the situation with their natives allies had deteriorated. Thousands of Tai Pis occupied the heavily defended position and they managed to repel the native attacks. Near the end of the engagement, the Te I'is and Happahs fled, leaving the thirty-six Americans to fend for themselves. Capt. Porter notified Lt. Gamble to order his Marines to cover the retreat back to
7182-473: The beach. Gamble positioned his men at the edge of a bush for one last decisive volley to ensure a strong enemy force did not pursue them. The American force lost one man killed and two wounded. One of the casualties was Lieutenant Downes, who suffered a badly broken leg. " We returned to the beach much fatigued and harassed with marching and fighting, " said Porter, who then sailed back to Madisonville. Once word spread that Porter and his allies had been defeated,
7296-426: The bushes, and at every instant assailed by spears and stones, which came from different parties in the ambuscade. We could hear the snapping of the slings, the whistling of the stones, and the spears came quivering by us, but we could not percieve [sic] from whom they came. " Skirmishing broke out and the expedition continued forward, encountering heavier resistance the farther they went. The column eventually made it to
7410-411: The coast to settle a peace agreement. One of the stipulations required the Happah to fight alongside the Te I'i and Americans in another operation against the Tai Pi. Not long after subduing the Happah, the Tai Pi declared war on the Te I'i, the Happah, and the Americans. Thus followed one of the most significant amphibious landings in the history of American operations in the Pacific during the 1800s. It
7524-614: The collectivity is the responsibility of the French Armed Forces . Some 900 military personnel are deployed in the territory – incorporating the Pacific-Polynesian Marine Infantry Regiment (RIMaP-P) – along with modest air transport and surveillance assets. The latter include three Falcon 200 Gardian maritime surveillance aircraft from French Naval Aviation , which are to be replaced by the more modern Falcon 2000 Albatros starting in 2025. The former
7638-449: The council of women. Historically, the U.S. government treated tribes as seats of political power, and made treaties with the tribes as legal entities. Be that as it may, the territory of these tribes fell under the authority of the Bureau of Indian Affairs as reservations held in trust for the tribes. Citizenship was formerly considered a tribal matter. For example, it was not until 1924 that
7752-669: The cultures of the traditional areas. They also serve as members of the Ghanaian National House of Chiefs . Although both the Nigerian traditional rulers and the wider chieftaincy aren't mentioned in Nigeria's current constitution , they derive their powers from various so-called Chiefs laws and are therefore legally recognized. The traditional rulers and select chiefs usually serve as members of each federating state's State Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs . Such figures as
7866-400: The enemy disengaged. There were no American casualties. Porter claimed he took no pleasure in conquering a " happy and heroic people " and he described the aftermath of the battle as " a scene of desolation and horror ". The captain also wrote that he left behind a " line of smoking ruins " when he started the return march to Madisonville. Tai Pi emissaries were not far behind and they brought
7980-451: The enemy fell back. On the next morning he gave the order to evacuate Madisonville, there being only eight men left on shore and all were either wounded or ill. Thus ended the existence of America's first naval base and colony in the Pacific Ocean. Captain Porter never returned to the island due to his capture by the British at the Battle of Valparaíso on March 28, 1814. The mutineers sailed Seringapatam to New South Wales . From there she
8094-434: The environment. The highest representative of the State in the territory is the High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia ( French : Haut commissaire de la République en Polynésie française ). French Polynesia also sends three deputies to the French National Assembly in three constituencies, the 1st representing Papeete and its north-eastern suburbs, plus the commune (municipality) of Mo'orea-Mai'ao ,
8208-426: The fighting a rock hit Downes in the stomach, hurting him. A sailor was wounded by a spear to the neck, but he apparently survived. Lt. Gamble was singled out by a heavily built Happah warrior, who charged at him with a wooden club. Drawing his Mameluke sword Gamble blocked the club from knocking him unconscious as another Marine, seeing Gamble struggling, leveled his musket at the Happah's head. The shot, fired from only
8322-429: The first American naval base in the Pacific, as well as a small colony , named Madisonville , to house the sailors. The small Fort Madison , of four guns, was also constructed on a hill next to Massachusetts Bay where an official flag raising ceremony took place on November 19, a seventeen gun salute was fired and some sort of message was buried in the ground for future Europeans to find, should they attempt to colonize
8436-479: The fort where a pitched battle began that would last for hours. The Te I'is and Happahs provided the brunt of the attack while the Americans picked off enemy warriors with their muskets; the cannon was aimed at the fortifications. Upon arrival, a Marine sergeant notified Lt. Gamble and Capt. Porter of the hopelessness of their situation. The Marines in his squad were down to three or four cartridges of ammunition. Lt. Gamble and four men were given permission to run back to
8550-671: The general council was changed to an advisory council and the colony's name was changed to Établissements Français de l'Océanie (French Establishments in Oceania). In 1940, the administration of French Polynesia recognised the Free French Forces and many Polynesians served in World War II. Unknown at the time to the French and Polynesians, the Konoe Cabinet in Imperial Japan on 16 September 1940 included French Polynesia among
8664-511: The government as members of the Ntlo ya Dikgosi , the national House of Chiefs . In addition to this, they also serve as the ex officio chairs of the tribal kgotlas , meetings of all of the members of the tribes, where political and social matters are discussed. The offices and traditional realms of the nanas of Ghana are constitutionally protected by the republican constitution of the country. The chiefs serve as custodians of all traditional lands and
8778-537: The government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Assembly of French Polynesia (the territorial assembly). Political life in French Polynesia was marked by great instability from the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s. The anti-independence right-wing president of French Polynesia, Gaston Flosse , who had been in power since 1991, had supported the resumption of the French nuclear weapons tests in 1995, and had obtained from his longtime friend and political ally Jacques Chirac , then president of France,
8892-549: The island after Porter and his men left. The declaration stated that the Te I'is were subjects of the United States and that the latter had officially laid claim to the island which Porter hoped would become an important naval base. In this time the sailors also scraped the copper bottom hull of Essex and used smoke to drive out over 1,000 rats hiding in her works. The Americans described the native warriors as being tall and copper colored, with tattoos over their entire bodies. They wore loin cloths and some had capes made of tree bark;
9006-658: The island of Rekareka to the southeast of Tahiti. In 1722, Dutchman Jakob Roggeveen while on an expedition sponsored by the Dutch West India Company, charted the location of six islands in the Tuamotu Archipelago and two islands in the Society Islands, one of which was Bora Bora . British explorer Samuel Wallis became the first European navigator to visit Tahiti in 1767. French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville also visited Tahiti in 1768, while British explorer James Cook arrived in 1769, and observed
9120-407: The last centuries, forced their central governments onto many remaining tribal societies. In some instances tribes have retained or regained partial self-government and their lifestyles, with Indigenous peoples rights having been fought for and some being secured on state or international levels. In Botswana, the reigning kgosis of the various tribes are legally empowered to serve as advisers to
9234-490: The last minute alliance between Flosse and Temaru's parties. Eventually, on 15 April 2008 the government of Gaston Flosse was toppled by a constructive vote of no confidence in the territorial assembly when two members of the Flosse-Temaru coalition left the coalition and sided with Tong Sang's party. Tong Sang's majority in the territorial assembly was very narrow, and he was toppled in February 2009, succeeded by Temaru (supported again by Flosse). Oscar Temaru's return to power
9348-678: The local tribes excepting the "Typees" from the Tai Pi Valley , took possession of Nuku Hiva on behalf of the British Crown. French Polynesia French Polynesia ( / ˌ p ɒ l ɪ ˈ n iː ʒ ə / POL -ih- NEE -zhə ; French : Polynésie française [pɔlinezi fʁɑ̃sɛːz] ; Tahitian : Pōrīnetia Farāni ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole overseas country . It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) in
9462-464: The mainstream U.S. economy to become chairpeople of their tribal councils or similar self-government institutions. Not all tribal leaders are or were men. Wilma Mankiller was a well-known chief of the Cherokee Nation. Also, the chief may not free to wield power without the consent of a council of elders of some kind. For example: Cherokee men were not permitted to go to war without the consent of
9576-459: The many territories which were to become Japanese possessions , as part of the " Eastern Pacific Government-General " in the post-war world . However, in the course of the war in the Pacific the Japanese were not able to launch an actual invasion of the French islands. In 1946, Polynesians were granted French citizenship and the islands' status was changed to an overseas territory; the islands' name
9690-407: The misfortune to meet up with HMS Cherub . Eventually, in 1815, Gamble was able to return to the United States. On 28 August 1814, a Royal Navy flotilla with HMS Briton anchored off Nuku Hiva. They found that Porter had built Fort Madison, Nuku Hiva and a villa on the island, which the natives destroyed after his ship left. Before his departure, Thomas Staines , with the consent of
9804-488: The mountains. The main effort of this expedition dragged along a wheeled 6 pound cannon for added effect. The amazement of the aboriginals at gunpowder weapons had already been noted upon their landing on the island. Several hundred Te I'i warriors accompanied the expedition which left the coast in the first week of November. After a journey through the jungle Downes and his men found the fort occupied by 3,000 to 4,000 hostiles. The Te I'i and their American allies attacked; during
9918-816: The overseas collectivity of French Polynesia and the 48 communes. Total population was 278,786 according to the August 18, 2022 census, 68.7% of whom lived on the island of Tahiti alone. The urban area of Papeete, the capital city, has 136,771 inhabitants (2017 census). At the 2017 census, 89.0% of people living in French Polynesia had been born there (up from 87.3% in 2007); 8.1% had been born in Metropolitan France (down from 9.3% in 2007); 1.2% were born elsewhere in overseas France (down from 1.4% in 2007); and 1.7% were from foreign countries (down from 2.0% in 2007). The population of natives of Metropolitan France living in French Polynesia has declined in relative terms since
10032-440: The political crisis. The party of Gaston Tong Sang won the territorial elections, but that did not solve the political crisis: the two minority parties of Oscar Temaru and Gaston Flosse, who together had one more member in the territorial assembly than the political party of Gaston Tong Sang, allied to prevent Gaston Tong Sang from becoming president of French Polynesia. Gaston Flosse was then elected president of French Polynesia by
10146-405: The president. The Windward Islands, due to their proximity to Papeete, do not form a deconcentrated subdivision of the government of French Polynesia. The 5 administrative subdivisions are themselves divided in 48 communes . Like all other communes in the French Republic, these are municipalities in which local residents with either a French or another EU citizenship elect a municipal council and
10260-558: The region, visiting the islands of French Polynesia on several occasions. Traders and whaling ships also visited. In 1842, the French took over the islands and established a French protectorate that they called Établissements français d'Océanie (EFO) (French Establishments/Settlements of Oceania). In 1946, the EFO became an overseas territory under the constitution of the French Fourth Republic , and Polynesians were granted
10374-528: The right to vote through citizenship. In 1957, the EFO were renamed French Polynesia. In 1983 French Polynesia became a member of the Pacific Community , a regional development organization. Since 28 March 2003, French Polynesia has been an overseas collectivity of the French Republic under the constitutional revision of article 74, and later gained, with law 2004-192 of 27 February 2004, an administrative autonomy, two symbolic manifestations of which are
10488-401: The same time, Ra'ivavae is often viewed as distinct from them. French is the sole official language of French Polynesia. An organic law of 12 April 1996 states that "French is the official language, Tahitian and other Polynesian languages can be used." At the 2017 census, among the population whose age was 15 and older, 73.9% of people reported that the language they spoke the most at home
10602-510: The seats in the Assembly of French Polynesia at the 2018 French Polynesian legislative election , defeating both Oscar Temaru's pro-independence party and Gaston Flosse's anti-independence party, and Édouard Fritch was re-elected president of French Polynesia by the Assembly in May 2018. By 2022, Édouard Fritch was the longest-serving president of French Polynesia since Gaston Flosse in the 1990s and early 2000s. Between 1946 and 2003, French Polynesia had
10716-441: The so-called Demis (literally meaning "Half"), and 4.7% were East Asians (mainly Chinese ). Chinese, Demis, and the white populace are essentially concentrated on the island of Tahiti, particularly in the urban area of Papeete, where their share of the population is thus much greater than in French Polynesia overall. Despite a long history of ethnic mixing, ethnic tensions have been growing in recent years, with politicians using
10830-455: The status of an overseas territory ( territoire d'outre-mer , or TOM ). In 2003, it became an overseas collectivity ( collectivité d'outre-mer , or COM). Its statutory law of 27 February 2004 gives it the particular designation of overseas country inside the Republic ( pays d'outre-mer au sein de la République , or POM), but without legal modification of its status. Despite
10944-507: The terms of Article 74 of the French constitution and the Organic Law 2014–192 on the statute of autonomy of French Polynesia, politics of French Polynesia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic French overseas collectivity, whereby the President of French Polynesia is the head of government , and of a multi-party system . Executive power is exercised by
11058-516: The territorial assembly on 23 February 2008 with the support of the pro-independence party led by Oscar Temaru, while Oscar Temaru was elected speaker of the territorial assembly with the support of the anti-independence party led by Gaston Flosse. Both formed a coalition cabinet. Many observers doubted that the alliance between the anti-independence Gaston Flosse and the pro-independence Oscar Temaru, designed to prevent Gaston Tong Sang from becoming president of French Polynesia, could last very long. At
11172-656: The title of the President of French Polynesia and its additional designation as an overseas country . Anthropologists and historians believe the Great Polynesian Migration commenced around 1500 BC as Austronesian peoples went on a journey using celestial navigation to find islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The first islands of French Polynesia to be settled were the Marquesas Islands in about 200 BC. The Polynesians later ventured southwest and discovered
11286-445: The town of Madisonville, was controlled by Chief Gattanewa of the Te I'i and in return for rights to build the base, Gattanewa demanded that the Americans become his allies and help fight the war against the Happah. While the majority of the Americans were still building their settlement, Lieutenant John Downes , Marine Lieutenant John Gamble and a platoon of forty Marines, were ordered to proceed to an in-land redoubt , located high in
11400-552: The transit of Venus . He would stop in Tahiti again in 1773 during his second voyage to the Pacific, and once more in 1777 during his third and last voyage before being killed in Hawaii. In 1772, the Spanish Viceroy of Peru Don Manuel de Amat ordered a number of expeditions to Tahiti under the command of Domingo de Bonechea who was the first European to explore all of the main islands beyond Tahiti. A short-lived Spanish settlement
11514-851: The tribe because of the Jack Abramoff publicity. Many of the tribes use professional management for their money. Thus, the Mescalero Apache renovated their Inn of the Mountain Gods to include gambling as well as the previous tourism, lodging, and skiing in the older Inn. The Navajo nation defeated bids to open casinos in 1994, but by 2004 the Shiprock casino was a fait accompli . Arabs, in particular peninsular Arabs , nomadic Bedouins and many Iraqis and Syrians, are largely organized in tribes, many of whom have official representatives in governments. Tribal chiefs are known as sheikhs , though this term
11628-495: The warriors also carried large clubs or spears. The women were clothed in similar fashion to the men, and friendly to the sailors. An Englishman named Wilson was found to be living on the island, and had been for many years. He served as interpreter between the Americans and the native chiefs . Nuku Hiva, at the time, was inhabited by many tribes of indigenous peoples, separated in villages by mountain peaks thousands of feet high. The area of land around Massachusetts Bay, which became
11742-452: Was French (up from 68.6% at the 2007 census), 20.2% reported that the language they spoke the most at home was Tahitian (down from 24.3% at the 2007 census), 2.6% reported Marquesan and 0.2% the related Mangareva language (same percentages for both at the 2007 census), 1.2% reported any of the Austral languages (down from 1.3% at the 2007 census), 1.0% reported Tuamotuan (down from 1.5% at
11856-569: Was brief as he fell out with Gaston Flosse and was toppled in November 2009, succeeded by Gaston Tong Sang. Tong Sang remained in power for a year and a half before being toppled in a vote of no confidence in April 2011, and succeeded by Temaru. Oscar Temaru's fifth stint as president of French Polynesia lasted two years, during which he campaigned for the re-inscription of French Polynesia on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories . Temaru lost
11970-502: Was changed in 1957 to Polynésie Française (French Polynesia). In 1962, France's early nuclear testing ground in Algeria was no longer usable when Algeria became independent and the Moruroa atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago was selected as the new testing site; tests were conducted underground after 1974. In 1977, French Polynesia was granted partial internal autonomy; in 1984, the autonomy
12084-621: Was created in 1774, and for a time some maps bore the name Isla de Amat after Viceroy Amat. Christian missions began with Spanish priests who stayed in Tahiti for a year. Protestants from the London Missionary Society settled permanently in Polynesia in 1797. King Pōmare II of Tahiti was forced to flee to Mo'orea in 1803 ; he and his subjects were converted to Protestantism in 1812. French Catholic missionaries arrived on Tahiti in 1834; their expulsion in 1836 caused France to send
12198-489: Was extended. French Polynesia became a full overseas collectivity of France in 2003. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing at Fangataufa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The last test was on 27 January 1996. On 29 January 1996, France announced that it would accede to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty , and no longer test nuclear weapons. French Polynesia
12312-566: Was in convincing them of our great superiority over them and from what we have already seen, we must either attack them or be attacked.... Wars are not always just, and are rarely free from excesses--my conscience acquits me of any injustice, and no excesses were committed but what the Typees had in their power to stop by ceasing hostilities. " By 9 December 1813, USS Essex was repaired and ready for sailing. The sailors were not happy about leaving their Marquesan girlfriends and Porter had to suppress one mutiny by declaring that he " would at once put
12426-458: Was most widespread in Latin America in its different periods of history. In Spain and some Latin American countries, the word cacique is used pejoratively to refer to those who hold the power through obscure networks of influence even though this type of fraud is not related to pre-Columbian era civilizations The Afro-Bolivian people , a recognized ethnic constituency of Bolivia, are led by
12540-498: Was relisted in the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories in 2013, making it eligible for a UN-backed independence referendum. The relisting was made after the indigenous opposition was voiced and supported by the Polynesian Leaders Group, Pacific Conference of Churches, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Non-Aligned Movement, World Council of Churches, and Melanesian Spearhead Group. Under
12654-479: Was sailed back to Great Britain where she was returned to her owners on payment of salvage. Cherub and Phoebe had caught up with Essex and Essex Junior at Valparaiso. Eventually Phoebe was able to bring Essex to battle. The British were able to capture Porter and both American vessels. Before he left Nuku Hiva, Gamble set fire to Greenwich . He and seven men (four unfit for duty) then sailed Sir Andrew Hammond 2,500 miles (4,000 km) before they had
12768-496: Was the big winner of the 2013 election, succeeded Oscar Temaru as president of French Polynesia in May 2013, but he was removed from office in September 2014 due to a corruption conviction by France's highest court. Flosse was replaced as president of French Polynesia by his second-in-command in the anti-independence camp, Édouard Fritch , who was also Flosse's former son-in-law (divorced from Flosse's daughter). Fritch fell out with Flosse in 2015 as both leaders were vying for control of
12882-477: Was toppled in March 2005, succeeded by Temaru again who was toppled in December 2006, succeeded by Gaston Tong Sang , a close ally of Flosse. On 14 September 2007, the pro-independence leader Oscar Temaru was elected president of French Polynesia for the third time in three years (with 27 of 44 votes cast in the territorial assembly). He replaced former president Gaston Tong Sang , opposed to independence, who lost
12996-512: Was unopposed but Captain Porter's fleet, combined with around 5,000 friendly warriors, in at least 200 war-canoes , attacked the Tai Pi-held coastline. After that, thirty-six officers and men with a cannon, personally commanded by Porter, led the expedition to a fortress with seven-foot-high walls. A battle began when the Tai Pis ambushed the column in the jungle near the fort. Porter wrote " We entered
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