Hokikakika: History and archaeology of a Catholic village in the Eastern Tuamotus

Abstract

The atoll of Fakahina, in the eastern Tuamotus, was recently the focus of a multidisciplinary research project led by the Centre International de Recherche Archeologique sur la Polynesie (CIRAP). During our survey, we recorded the very well preserved remains of the early Christian village of Hokikakika. Here we present the ethnohistorical information regarding the development of the Catholic village gathered from missionary sources, present-day oral testimonies, civil records and a summary of the archaeological recording undertaken. The organisation of the mission and its surroundings is described, including different types of private houses and other features. The thorough multi-disciplinary investigation, the first of its kind in French Polynesia, of this exceptional ensemble represented across this missionised village, sheds new light on the daily lives of a newly converted community during the last quarter of the nineteenth century.