Day 43: Sea Day - Wallis and Futuna

Wallis and Futuna? Sounds like a comedy cartoon on Disney! Today is a sea day, and we travel from Samoa to Fiji. About halfway between these two locations lie the twin islands of Wallis and Futuna. Although they are grouped together as a French Collective Territory and even have their own joint flag, they lie almost 160 miles apart (which is, of course, nothing in the South Pacific). They're two small specks of land with a combined population of 11,000, down from 14,000 about a decade ago. About 50% of the population is under the age of 20.

The islands were populated in 800 BC, probably because they're that midpoint between other islands. Tonga invaded in the mid-1400s and again in the early 1500s. Although the locals defended themselves rather well, as part of the peace treaties, there was a fair degree of assimilation - apparent in the gene pools, language, and cultural norms. Futuna was first spotted by European adventurers in 1616, and Wallis was not until 1767. That's when the English explorer Samual Wallis happened upon them and named them. After that, it's the usual story. Colonizers arrived (in this case, the French), closely followed by missionaries in 1837 who trashed the local cultures and converted everyone to their religion. In 1842 the locals formed a revolt, and the missionaries had to ask for the direct protection of France. In 1887, Queen Uvea, under duress, signed a treaty officially establishing the island as a protectorate of France. 

Fast forward to 2005, when the 50th king of Uvea, Tomasi Kulimoetoke II, faced being deposed after giving sanctuary to his grandson, who was convicted of manslaughter. The king claimed his grandson should be judged by tribal law rather than the French penal system. As a result, there were riots in the streets involving the king's supporters, who were victorious over attempts to replace the king. Two years later, Tomasi Kulimoetoke died on May 7, 2007. Since then, two competing aristocratic clans on Wallis have created some considerable tension, resulting in the net outflow of people - mainly to New Caledonia and France.

So there you have it. Two islands that 99.9% of us have never heard of and will never visit - but still another item of interest in this vastness of the South Pacific.