A dispersed population
French Polynesia is home to more than 282 530 inhabitants on a territory as large as Europe. The population is therefore as scattered as its islands.
On the one hand, Tahiti gathers nearly 70% of the population - in other words, the Polynesians live mostly in cities, in an already overpopulated urban area -; on the other hand, the five archipelagos of the Society, Tuamotu, Gambier, Marquesas and Australs share the rest of the inhabitants, even if most of them live today in the Society archipelago. After their big sister Tahiti, the islands of Moorea and Raiatea are indeed the most populated; then come Huahine, Bora Bora, and Tahaa. The latter have good sea and air connections, and all amenities are available: doctors, pharmacies, schools, etc.
The Tuamotu-Gambier Islands have only 16,881 inhabitants on an area comparable to that of Western Europe, while the Marquesas and the Austral Islands are even less populated. In these archipelagos, the majority of the inhabitants are concentrated in the main islands.
However, as everywhere, the inhabitants of the cities often dream of the islands, and those of the islands, of the city. The latter are indeed influenced by the powerful attraction of Tahiti, and whether to find a job or to send their children to school, Polynesians tend to migrate to urban centers, and especially to Papeete, posing the problem of depopulation of the archipelagos.
If time permits, we warmly invite you to discover traditional Polynesia, the one hidden in the isolated islands, without airport. These islands are hardly mentioned in the tourist guides, or are only mentioned in a few pages. The ones where hotels and guesthouses are absent from the landscape - you will have to rely on the hospitality of the people. Those which, cut off from the world, live in quasi-autarky, waiting for the cargo ship that will come to supply them. This Polynesia at the end of the world... The real one!Great ethnic melting pot
The "pure" Polynesian ancestors have little resemblance to their descendants, who have mixed over the centuries. The true Maohi no longer exists: everyone has an American grandfather or a Chinese great-grandmother. An absolute melting pot of ethnicities and cultures!
Today, the native Polynesians are called "Polynesians". Ancestors of the first settlers who arrived several centuries ago, they have inhabited the territory for over 3,000 years. This population represents about 65% of the total population, but the interbreeding has been such for several centuries that everyone is more or less interbred, and therefore half. In fact, it is generally considered that about 80% of the population is Polynesian or assimilated.
The Chinese community first arrived in 1868 to work on the Atimaono cotton plantation in Tahiti, and then spontaneously arrived a second time before the First World War. Mainly composed of Hakka or Puntis from Kuandong, they settled in trade and agriculture, on the fringe of the Polynesian population, but exercised complementary activities. The last Chinese to arrive worked in Makatea in the 1960s. They were brought here because of a lack of labor, and they settled mainly in Tahiti, where they became westernized, and in the islands, where they became more "Tahitianized". In 1973, the State granted them French nationality; they are now estimated to be about 7% of the total population and form a very dynamic community. They are generally the ones who run the grocery stores and bric-a-brac shops where you can find everything, and they can also be at the head of large companies, even very large fortunes.
Thevast majority of Europeans are French and represent about 12% of the population. Concentrated mainly in Tahiti, they arrived en masse in the 1960s to work on the CEP or in the administration. Few of them were born in Tahiti. The farani (pronounced "frani") are most often in charge of the economy, administration and power. Today, most of them are civil servants and military, and settle here for a few years to take advantage of the enormous benefits of their status: a salary more than doubled, no taxes, all under the beautiful Polynesian sun; who doesn't dream of a transfer? With the current trend of disengagement of the State and the alignment of salaries of civil servants in the overseas territories, departments or countries, this phenomenon will undoubtedly fade away gradually. That said, more and more French people are coming to the country, without necessarily expecting financial benefits. They are interested in discovering the local culture, and sometimes help to preserve or even enrich it. The term "Franco-Tahitian marriage" is relatively recent.
Finally,the "demis" are the local name for mixed race women. One can be half-Polynesian or half-Chinese, without necessarily having one of the two parents of a different origin or color than the other: a quarter or an eighth of such and such an origin is sufficient to be called "half". The interbreeding of the Polynesian population began with the arrival of the Europeans in the 18th century, continued with the Chinese in the 19th century, and has continued to the present day. Since the 1950s, or about three generations, it has been mainly between French, Chinese and Polynesians. Today, the half-breeds are seen as a privileged category. Rich in a double or multiple culture, they are both attached to Fenua and to success. They are present in all fields, especially in administration and commerce, and represent about 16% of the total population.
Also residing in French Polynesia are Japanese, specialists in pearl oyster grafting, New Zealanders and Hawaiians, New Caledonians, and more rarely Wallisians, Futunians, and a few people from the French overseas departments and territories, such as the West Indies or Reunion.
Growing demographics
The population in French Polynesia has been steadily increasing since the end of the 1990s: 219,521 inhabitants in 1996, 245,516 in 2002, then 275,918 at the last general census in 2017. Fortunately, we are far from the 81,000 in the 1960s! The curve has recovered well since the darkest period, when Tahiti and Moorea had only 9,000 inhabitants, but it has not, however, caught up with the 400,000 inhabitants before the arrival of the Europeans.
The population is young but aging. Population growth continues to be driven by the birth rate and fertility - although it has been falling steadily for the past two decades - but is slowed by a historically high migration deficit: each year, more than 1,500 net departures are recorded. Population growth today is much lower than in the 1990s, when it averaged 1.9 per cent per year.Tahitian, officially recognized
While Fenua's only official language today remains French, Tahitian has been officially recognized since 1980, when France recognized it after banning it for 150 years. Today, public information is broadcast in both French and Tahitian, and the television channels RFO1 and RFO2 program many commented programs in Tahitian. The local bilingual general-interest channel TNTV (Tahiti Nui Television) has been broadcasting programs, newspapers and reports in Tahitian since June 2000.
Article 57 of Organic Law No. 2004-192 of 27 February 2004 stipulates that, while French remains the official language of French Polynesia, "the Tahitian language is a fundamental element of cultural identity: as a cement of social cohesion and a means of daily communication, it is recognized and must be preserved, along with the other Polynesian languages [...] in order to guarantee the cultural diversity that is the wealth of French Polynesia". Thus, "French, Tahitian, Marquesan, Paumotu and Mangarevian are the languages of French Polynesia" and "natural and legal persons under private law use them freely in their acts and agreements". In addition, "the Tahitian language is a subject taught as part of the normal timetable in nursery and primary schools, secondary schools and higher education establishments".
Rolling the "r's", rounding the "u's" into "or", Tahitian is a wonderful language, soft and smooth to the ear, with a very sensual pronunciation. Although it may seem simple at first glance, it is nevertheless very rich and has many nuances. In addition, it shows a formidable faculty of assimilation.
Along with the other languages of Polynesia, which were long banned in favour of French, they have lost much of their vocabulary since the arrival of explorers in the 18th century. For Cook and yourself, a banana is still a banana; the Polynesians had an immense vocabulary to describe the subtle nuances of the different kinds of bananas, as well as other fruits and vegetables, the state of the sea and its different blues, the wind and its origins, not to mention all the words relating to customs and ceremonies.
Today, Tahitian is almost starting to "mix" with French. Of course, the most commonly used words are still the names of fruits or plants, but others are increasingly used in everyday language. We say an uru and not a breadfruit, a motu for an island, a poti marara for a bonitier, a popaa for a European... Finally, note the untranslatable but extremely communicative fiu: "Je suis fiu de faire ça! "It's really fiu! "to express a fed up or tired feeling.First bases
A guide alone does not allow you to integrate all the notions of the language, especially those of pronunciation, but let's try to... Like all Polynesian languages, Tahitian has always been a spoken language. Until the 18th century, Polynesians had never heard of writing, and everything had been transmitted orally since the dawn of time. Thus, the alphabet that codifies the language is only an approximation of the true pronunciation: 14 letters, 5 vowels and 9 consonants. The 9 consonants do not pose too many problems: f, m, n, t and v are pronounced as we do; the "r" is rolled up and the "h" is sucked up. The "b" does not exist, or more exactly, the "p" is pronounced between the "b" and the "p". As for the 5 vowels: a, i and o are pronounced as in French, the "e" is said "é" or "è", the "u" is said "ou".
The problem is when two vowels follow each other (it never happens for consonants), like "ae" which is pronounced "è" or "ai", like "eille", "eille" or "ow" in English, "ao" as if we mixed the "a" and the "o". Even more complicated is the glottal occlusion. Linguists symbolize it with an apostrophe (' ) and it is pronounced by blocking the air with the glottis before saying the second vowel... Listen and go: it's yours!Réalisez une croisière en Polynésie à l'occasion de vos vacances
Vous ne savez pas encore où vos congés vous mèneront ? De notre côté, nous avons possiblement une idée sur votre future destination. La Polynésie !
En effet, la Polynésie possède un décor ainsi que des paysages tous aussi sublimes les uns que l'autre. De ce fait, à l'occasion de vos futurs congés annuels, réalisez une belle croisière en Polynésie en compagnie de votre moitié, de votre famille ou de vos amis !
Maintenant que nous avons planté une graine dans votre cervelle, il va falloir vous procurer vos billets et tous les outils nécessaires pour réaliser une excellente période de congés.
Dans un premier temps, nous vous conseillerons fortement de commencer vos recherches de croisières pour la Polynésie auprès des agences de voyages proches de chez vous. Cela vous permettra d'avoir un contact humain et potentiellement un bon plan lors de votre visite au sein même de l'agence de voyages.
Néanmoins, ces dernières sont de plus en plus rares. En même temps, de plus en plus de croisières décident de passer directement sur internet pour vendre leurs places. C'est notamment pour cela que vous pourrez retrouver des croisières pour la Polynésie plus facilement auprès de sites internet spécialisés dans les croisières.
Ces derniers vous permettront d'acquérir des billets pour une croisière de luxe à un prix bien plus intéressant que dans les agences de voyages classiques. Une fois que vous aurez déniché la bonne croisière pour la Polynésie, vous n'aurez plus qu'à commander les billets, et préparer votre valise. N'oubliez pas d'emmener vos enfants avec vous et votre moitié, il serait dommage de ne pas profiter des merveilles de la Polynésie tout seul ! Alors, prêt à franchir le pas vers des vacances de rêves ?
