In the South Pacific, in the French part of Polynesia, lies a cluster of volcanic islands known as the Marquesas Islands. The largest of these is Nuku Hiva, with a relatively modest area of about 1,000 square kilometers and a total population of about 8,000 inhabitants.
Although it is a small community, it has its own distinctive culture. Hidden amid the lush jungles and mountainous terrain of the Marquesas Islands lie countless ancient stone sculptures, carefully crafted from red volcanic tuff, whose origins are shrouded in the mists of time.
The figures depicted in these sculptures have humanoid or human-like features, albeit with an extraordinary grotesque nature: their eyes are remarkably large and resemble those of frogs, their mouths are thick and wide, also reminiscent of frogs, and they display fully human arms. legs and genitals.
These sculptures are called ‘tiki’ by archaeologists, a term that broadly encompasses ancient stone sculptures throughout Polynesia. The word itself comes from the Maori language, spoken in Hawaii, where it denotes the first human and a demigod in their mythology.
Although Hawaiian tiki statues also have their own intrigue, those of the Marquesas Islands are considerably more disturbing and, to some, even ‘alien’ in appearance. It’s no surprise that proponents of the paleocontact theory have long been fascinated by it.
These proponents hypothesize that ancient aliens visited Earth in its early history and instructed humans in various disciplines such as agriculture, science, mathematics and more.
Rather, historians claim that the Polynesian statues depict a series of gods, priests or shamans. Proponents of paleocontact argue that the ancient Polynesians attempted to portray the aliens they encountered in the likeness of gods, thus establishing a curious intersection of views.
Some Marquesan tikis have been moved to museums, while others remain in their original, undiscovered locations on uninhabited parts of the islands.
Most Marquesas tikis are about three feet tall or less, although there are some colossal specimens that can grow as tall as eight feet. They can be found as individual images and as grouped configurations.
Determining the age of these statues poses a significant challenge, as dating stone objects is considerably more complex than dating organic materials.
Similar problems in dating exist for ancient megalithic structures such as Stonehenge. Scientists can only surmise that these stone tikis could be several hundred to thousands of years old.
There is a fascinating legend about tiki within the folklore of the inhabitants of the Marquesas Islands. According to this tradition, ancient gods descended from heaven and bestowed knowledge and skills on the islanders.
In honor of these divine beings, people carved tikis from stone. Such legends, telling of heavenly visitors and gifts of wisdom, recur in folklore from various corners of the world. Nevertheless, contemporary scholars often regard them as myths and fantastical stories.
Unfortunately, after the French colonization of the Marquesas Islands and a significant part of Polynesia in the 19th century, indigenous knowledge among locals began to fade.
Today, approximately 90% of residents identify as Christian and have limited awareness of the religion and culture of their ancestors. Some retain vague memories of a time when tikis played an important role in their society, with each sculpture bearing its own name and little else.
Typically, tiki statues were placed in sacred locations called “meae,” often surrounded by stone formations or walls. Occasionally, sacred rituals were performed, in which individuals decorated themselves in ceremonial attire and offered food offerings to these statues.
In rare cases, special entities were carved not as free-standing tiki statues, but as bas-reliefs on walls. The image below shows a group of these enigmatic creatures with oversized heads, which resemble helmets or headgear.
The function and symbolism of these stone tikis are also unclear. Some experts believe they were religious or ceremonial objects used to worship gods, ancestors or spirits. Others argue that they were political or social markers, used to represent status, power or belonging.
Some interpret them as artistic or aesthetic expressions, used to decorate the landscape or convey emotions. Others speculate that it was astronomical or navigational equipment, used to observe the stars or orient themselves on the sea.
In addition to tiki statues and bas-reliefs, images of strange, wide-eyed humanoids from the Marquesas Islands could also be found on a variety of everyday objects, including clay bowls, boats, oars, and hair combs. People often wore amulets to ward off the evil eye, and often decorated their chests with them.
The mystery of these alien stone tikis in the Marquesas Islands is not easy to solve. They ask many questions and offer few answers.
