Futuna (Wallis and Futuna)

Futuna and Alofi were first mapped by Europeans in 1616 by Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire during their circumnavigation of the globe on the ship Eendracht. After sailing to Niuafoʻou, they suddenly changed course from west to northwest and discovered the two islands. The islands were named Hoorn Eylanden, after the city of Hoorn, Schouten's birthplace. This became Horne in French and English. They also discovered a natural harbor along the southwest coast of Futuna, which they named Eendrachts baai (Unity Bay) after their ship. It is thought that their landing place was the site of the Anse de Sigave near what is today called Leava.

Schouten and Le Maire had learned from earlier experiences how to approach islanders successfully. Upon landing, they went ashore, and, when approached by some of the natives, they made a show of force. This opened the way a peaceful barter, with the natives offering coconuts, yams, and hogs in exchange for the sailors’ iron nails, beads and knives. The sailors went on to get fresh water and meet the king, who told his subjects that their guests were not to be disturbed by petty thieving. This way, the Dutch sailors were able to replenish their stocks without risk of theft. A few days after they arrived, the king of the other island, Alofi, came to visit, bringing with him 300 men. A feast was prepared and a kava ceremony and ʻumu were organised. Schouten and Le Maire were likely the first Europeans to witness these ceremonies.

Without the risk of theft or hostilities, Schouten and Le Maire were able to study Futuna more thoroughly than had been possible for them in the case of the Niua islands. They did not visit Alofi. Their description of the islanders’ appearance and behavior was not flattering. Although they praise the men for being well-proportioned, they found the women ugly and ill-shaped, with breasts hanging down to their bellies like empty satchels. The people were said to all go naked, and to copulate in public, even in front of their king.

In the 19th century, whaling ships from the United States and elsewhere called at Futuna for water, wood, and food. The first one known to have called was the Independence in 1827.[3]

Futuna and Alofi are both remnants of the same extinct volcano, now bordering with a fringing reef. Futuna's highest point is Mont Puke at 524 m (1,719 ft) above sea level,[2] and the island has an area of 83 km² (32 sq mi),[4] with 53 km² (20 sq mi) in Sigave and 30 km² (12 sq mi) in Alo. It is separated from Wallis Island to the north by water deeper than 4,500 m (14,800 ft) in the Vitiaz Trench.[1]

As of the 2018 census, the population of the island was 3,225, with 1,950 residing in the Alo district and 1,275 in Sigave. Futuna makes up approximately 27.9% of the population of Wallis and Futuna.[11] The most spoken languages on Futuna are Futunan (94.5%), French (5.3%), and Wallisian (0.2%).[12]

Futuna and Alofi (photo: NASA)

Two kings, elected from the local nobility every few years, rule the population in conjunction with French authorities. They are the king of Sigave, the western province, and the king of Alo, the eastern province including Alofi. Except for Poi all villages are along the southwest coast, and they are from west to east: Toloke, Fiua, Vaisei, Nuku, and Leava (capital with the wharf) in Sigave, and Taoa, Malaʻe, Ono, Kolia and Vele (at the airstrip) in Alo.

99% of the population of Wallis and Futuna are Catholic.[13] Although the island is closer to Tonga and farther from Samoa than ʻUvea, the vernacular and culture are more Samoan.

Futuna is where Pierre Chanel was martyred in 1841, becoming Polynesia's only Catholic saint. The cathedral of Poi now stands on the site where he was martyred.

There are six primary schools on Futuna.[14] The island also has two junior high schools (collèges): Fiua de Sigave and Sisia d'Ono. Residents are served by a senior high school/sixth-form college, Lycée d'Etat de Wallis et Futuna, on Wallis.[15]

• Pointe Vele Airport
• Peter Chanel

• Cartes institut géographique national (4902F)
• https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/wallis-and-futuna-islands-population/
• Robert Kerr (1824): Voyage round the world, in 1615-1617, by William Cornelison Schouten and Jacques le Maire, going round Cape Horn. The comments of the editor to the original ship's journals are completely wrong, however.
• Percy Smith (1892): "Futuna; or, Horne Island and its People", Journal of the Polynesian Society, vol.1, pp. 33–52
• Goff, J; Lamarche, G; Pelletier, B; Chagué-Goff, C; Strotz, L (2011). "Predecessors to the 2009 South Pacific tsunami in the Wallis and Futuna archipelago". Earth-Science Reviews. 107 (1–2): 91–106. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.11.003.
• Szitkar, F; Dyment, J; Fouquet, Y (15 November 2020). "Widespread volcanism Southeast of Futuna Island (SW Pacific Ocean): Near-seafloor magnetic dating and regional consequences". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 406 (107064). doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2020.107064.
• Szitkar, F; Dyment, J; Pelleter, E; Thomas, Y; Marsset, B; Ker, S; Fouquet, Y (2022). "Effusive and explosive volcanism on the northern Futuna Ridge, Lau Basin: A combined bathymetric, magnetic and seismic investigation". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 431 (107646). doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2022.107646.