Hane is the largest settlement on the island of

Ua Huka Ua Huka is one of the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is situated in the northern group of the archipelago, approximately to the east of Nuku Hiva, at . Name Ua Huka is sometimes ...

, in the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in ...

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

. Hane, a notable archaeological site, has a smaller population than the capital of Vaipae'e.

Geography

It is located between the airport and the village of Hokatu, to the southwest of Mount Hitikau. Mount Hitikau (884 m) is situated to the northeast.

Archaeological inferences

The archaeological sites of Tehavea and Meiaute are within walking distance of the village. The area was first excavated by Yosihiko H. Sinoto in 1964–65. His excavations revealed more than 12,000 bird bones, of which nearly 10,000 reportedly belonged to about seven species of

shearwater Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds in the petrel family Procellariidae. They have a global marine distribution, but are most common in temperate and cold waters, and are pelagic outside the breeding season. Description These tu ...

s and

petrel Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. Description The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group (all except the albatross ...

s. During archaeological investigations in Hane,

sherd In archaeology, a sherd, or more precisely, potsherd, is commonly a historic or prehistoric fragment of pottery, although the term is occasionally used to refer to fragments of stone and glass vessels, as well. Occasionally, a piece of broken ...

s were also found below a rock surface and were initially dated to 300-600 AD. However,

radiocarbon dating Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon. The method was dev ...

indicated an occupation period anywhere between 900 and 1200 AD. Further investigations were conducted at Hane from the 1990s for a period of about 20 years. The excavations of 2009 revealed that the oldest occupational date for the archipelago, including French Polynesia, was around 1000 AD, when people depended on marine resources. However, around 1200 AD, there was a shift in the occupational pattern, with dwellings made of perishable materials built over stone plinths. Thereafter, the site was deserted as the population moved to the valleys, and from 1200 to 1400 AD the coastal areas including Hane were used mainly as burial grounds.

Landmarks

The Sea Museum (Le musée de la Mer) contains exhibits of traditional tools used for fishing, hooks, explanations on old fishing techniques, a collection of canoes, and a crafts centre. Auberge Hitikau is a small hostel and restaurant, named after the mountain. It contains four double rooms, with an eatery noted for its goat and pork dishes and ''

kaveka The sooty tern (''Onychoprion fuscatus'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans, returning to land only to breed on islands throughout the equatorial zone. Taxonomy The sooty tern was described by Carl Linn ...

'' omelettes. There is also a hospital.

References

Bibliography

*{{cite book, last=Stanley, first=David, title=Moon Handbooks South Pacific, url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_EDGapfBX-CAC, pag
279
year=2004, publisher=David Stanley, isbn=978-1-56691-411-6 Populated places in the Marquesas Islands Ua Huka Archaeological sites in French Polynesia