Tahitians - the indigenous population of. Tahiti and Islands Society . Self-designation - Maohi. The number is 180 thousand people. In New Caledonia lives 7 thousand. The language is Tahitian . It is distributed on the Marquesas islands , on the islands of Tuamotu , Tubuai , Mangareva , as interethnic. Since 1823, the alphabet based on the Latin alphabet was introduced. Believers are Protestants and Catholics .
| Tahitians | |
|---|---|
| Abundance and area | |
| Total: 180 thousand | |
 French polynesia | |
| Tongue | Tahitian |
| Religion | Calvinism , Catholicism |
| Related peoples | Hawaiians |
The popularity of Tahiti can only be compared with Easter Island . Other relatively large islands are Moorea , Bora Bora , Raiatea . The rest are atolls . Tahiti, having the appearance of an eight, is divided into two parts (Tahiti-Nui and Tahiti-Iti), separated by an isthmus. The island is mountainous, wooded. Here is the capital - Papeete .
The islands of the Society are inhabited in the first millennium . In the II millennium , a tribal organization developed here, and in the XVIII century , ethnic consolidation was completed.
Culture and traditions are of the general Polynesian type. Developed music, dancing, folklore. Musical instruments - drum and flute .
Three layers are distinguished in the social structure: arias (leaders), raatira (landowners) and ordinary people.
Marriage is monogamous, but polygyny is found among the leaders. A separate caste is made by priests ( opuni ).
Dwellings of the Tahitians, 1842
