The Formation of Tahiti
Tahiti is part of a volcanic chain and was formed due to movement of the Pacific Plate over a fixed hotspot. On the island of Tahiti there are two extinct shield volcanoes. Tahiti-Nui located in the northwest corner of the island and Tahiti-Iti is in the southeast corner. Tahiti-Nui is the larger of the two volcanoes that make up the island of Tahiti. Much of the original volcano is still intact. Tahiti Iti is the younger of the two islands and is connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus.
The Settlers of Tahiti
Tahiti and the surrounding islands were first settled by Polynesians as early as 500BC. Over the next few centuries, the Tahitian islands were colonized. The island was originally divided into different chiefdoms. Each clan had a chief, nobles, and under-chiefs. The clan districts were centered around stone temples. These temples were the pride of the people. In 1767 Captain Samuel Walls stumbled upon the island. Tahitian warriors showed aggression towards the British by throwing rocks at them. In return the British opened fire on the Tahitian warriors, scaring them into surrendering and claiming the island for the British. The captain and his crew then left the island a month later to share their findings. Shortly after in 1768 Louis-Antonie de Bougainville was the next to sight Tahiti and claimed it for France. Tahiti was proclaimed a French protectorate in 1840’s by the Tahitian Queen Pomare IV. When the last king Pomare V accepted annexation in 1880, Tahiti became a French colony.