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 in Marquesan ...

, in the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan language, Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan language, North Marquesan) and ' (South Marquesan language, South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcano, volcanic islands in ...

French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...

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

Vaipae'e Vaipae'e is the most populous settlement on the island of Ua Huka, in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia. It is the chief town in the commune of Ua-Huka, and is located in the southern part of the island, to the northwest of Ua Huka Airport ...

Geography

It is located between the airport and the village of Hokatu, to the southwest of Mount

Hitikau Hitikau is a volcanic mountain of Ua Huka, in the Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan language, Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan language, North Marquesan) and ' (South Marquesan language, South Marquesan), both me ...

. 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 tube ...

s and

petrel Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the phylogenetic order Procellariiformes. Description Petrels are a monophyletic group of marine seabirds, sharing a characteristic of a nostril arrangement that results in the name "tubenoses". Petrels enco ...

s. During archaeological investigations in Hane,

sherd This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains. A B C D E F ...

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 Chronological dating, determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of carbon-14, radiocarbon, a radioactive Isotop ...

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

plinth A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

s. 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'' 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