Huahine cultural heritage
Huahine consists of two islands, Huahine Nui and Huahine-Iti, which are connected by a bridge. Recent archaeological discoveries indicate that the history of Huahine back at least to 1100 years.
Huahine-Iti depended on Huahine Nui, each island with four districts in ancient time. Huahine island is known for the village of Maeva, where all district chiefs once lived side by side and proceeded to the worship of ancestors on their respective marae.
Huahine big chiefs lived on the thin strip of coastline, on the lagoonside. The great marae Manunu on the island opposite the village of Maeva, and marae Anini of parea acted as community marae to Huahine-Nui and Huahine-Iti, respectively.
Dr. Kenneth P. Emory of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, was the first to identify the types, functions, and names of the marae on Huahine in 1925. Dr. Yosihiko Sinoto from the Bishop Museum restored the Maeva marae for the Tahiti committee of tourism from 1967 to 1968. Dr. Sinoto later brought to light additional 35 marae on the hill behind the village Mata'ire'a Maeva.
Maeva village
The marae Anini
The marae Manunu
Custom fish trap