Originally, I did not go to Marquesas Islands for Marquesas.
It was too distant an island to mean anything to me.
Yes, I am drawn to islands and have written about a couple of them before. They were mostly European islands though. Until now.

When I bought the book ’50 remote islands I have not visited and never will’, it was like another curious atlas-flipping experience.
Little did I know that through Marquesas, I’ll not only reunite with dear friends, but I’ll set my foot on a living treasure-land yet unvisited by many.

So I went to French Polynesia for celebration of friendship and a common dream. And it just happened that Filou de Mer was at that momentum of world-sailing located in the most distant place on earth! Our Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2025. Instead of spending it in Poland and Denmark.

When I finally landed in Hiva Oa on 11 December’25 after 48 hours journey on 4 different planes from Copenhagen, I started becoming surprised on all possible levels.
Fresh eyes on absolutely everything!

From all the 12 Marquesas Islands and 6 of which inhabited – volcanic treasures in the middle of Pacific Ocean – we sailed to 3 of them: Ua Huka, Tahuata and Hiva Oa.

My train of thought here – in order to describe for you my personal experiences and impressions – will not be divided according to those 3 remote islands, but instead I’ll share 3 themes that I found particularly interesting.

Not as a researcher/sociologist, but as an embodied witness, looking back through the entire kaleidoscope of sensory memories and all new knowledge I’ve gathered that makes me tick.
So…

¤1) Very unique co-existence of “ancient” Polynesian
religion/rituals and (post)colonial Catholic churches

Marquesas Festival in Ua Huka Island Christmas in catholic church in Tahuata Church in Ua Huka

I must say that Marquesas Festival gave me a deep-dive “time machine” experience.
Ua Huka island was the festival’s host this year. Only every second year it’s manifested and it’s such a pearl to have access to be there. I remember that during summer when I was on the wedding in Poland and almost ready to drop the planning and dream to join Filou de Mer in French Polynesia (because it was way too expensive and too complicated), Isabel sent me a spot-on message saying that there is a festival 14-18 December 2025 in Marquesas.
It left an inception in me apparently. Then one day months later, 3 of us together with 2 other friend-sailors from the Hana bay, were all standing there among the most unique culture experience of my life time. And it was all real! Experiencing islanders’ tribe-like, warrior-like costumes, their Haka Manu (bird dances), Tiki Man statues, “old-school” way of cooking food in deep pits in the ground on fire, covered with huge leaves – that was like being inside a surreal movie!

Another Marquesas culture pearl was church- and community-celebration. Colourful masses with orchestra and singing in little catholic churches (that missionaries both from England and later France had spread in Polynesia) seemed to be really binding for their local culture.
My first experience was a morning church celebration that officially opened Marquesas Festival. 8 a.m. on the festival day, I walked there from higher hills where from 6 a.m. Had been searching for Three Tiki statues.
It was my first walk on land alone. Lars let me wake him at 6 a.m. and dropped me on land. Thank you.
Without any map, there was no guarantee I am gonna find the famous Tikis.
I had been walking carefully up the hill always looking up, protecting my head from potential coconuts falling down. That can kill you!
Nature Danger #1.

Then I finally saw the statues – three Tiki on a hill elevation and I looked around and it showed amazing view over the bay where our katamaran, our Home, was anchored.
The moment I sat down on a stone to enjoy, I turned around and there it was: potential nature Danger #2: wild pigs.
The entire herd of small pigs and two huge motherfucker adults around the Tiki statues, basically everywhere around me. That was both amusing and scary, as I didn’t know what to expect from these Polynesian pigs.

New unknown peripheries for exploration of N-A-T-U-R-E.
…and C-U-L-T-U-R-E, so back to the catholic churches.

The second unforgettable religion encounter was on the actual Christmas Eve.
I saw it already there, being in the middle of that entire Marquesian experience – and now after coming back home I see it even more clear – that we were so lucky to know some locals.
We were invited to Christmas celebration in the local village in Tahuata.
The church mass started at 18:00 and especially the beginning of it – when the priest after disappearing for 15 minutes came back with the procession of the musicians – struck my body with such level of high energy that I started to cry.
After that there was gift-giving, Marquesian women dancing and shared potluck food on huge tables. That’s how people celebrate Christmas there.

¤2) Experience of melting with surroundings: juicyness of
nature, temperature, no natural “human” predators

‘Three Tiki’ ancient statues in Ua Huka and diving in Tahuata

Eating raw fish straight from the ocean and unwashed fruits from the trees was a direct proof of that something feels right, natural on both body and soul.
Temperature of both air and sea was fitting my inner system that body was naturally open continuously for 3 weeks.

I was constantly alert about sharks, otherwise there were no natural human predators. Neither on land or in the water.

Swimming with Mantarays was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had with a living creature that was not a human!

¤3) Waka, wayfinding, celestial navigation.
Art of Observing. Art of Becoming.

*

I know something I want to share.

It’s not a bare facts.

It’s like a metaphor for life related to Polynesia.

Marquesians have had centuries-old oral culture, deep connection to ancestors and to nature and their land. Henua Enana (meaning ‘Land of Men’) is the traditional name for the Marquesas Islands in their own language.

All Polynesians also developed skillful sailing/navigation techniques that have been passed as secret knowledge by a few. Those traditional navigation masters possessed unprecedential techniques of finding way to new islands not only by stars, but by observation of birds, swells (better indicator than waves!), sensing proximity of islands by learning to recognize special mirage/colors reflected in the clouds, as well as many other signs on endless ocean where only waves and horizont can been seen.

“Knowing” is like a tip of an iceberg….or a top of a volcano that is rising from the ocean 4000 meters deep*.

I’m not interested in science as such, or in anthropology of Marquesian culture. Even though I studied sociology.

My focus lies more in inspiration and personal observation as Art of Life/Art of Becoming:

By letting wholeness of experience in Marquesas islands flush through my own, already existing rich life experience and all knowledge I’ve gathered since I was a little girl.

Dream is the focus, too, of course.

I’ve filtered my Polynesian impressions through my dreams.

Dream sent me there in the first place.

A new dream is awaken afterwards. Like memory is dynamic too.

For many people “Dream” is the last and only element left in a human being on her/his/their death bed.

Everybody wants to find way to something that matters most to them.

In this last paragraph of my Marquesian memories I want to freely talk about WAYFINDING.

…both as a method for traditional Polynesian navigation – before any motors and GPS came to the picture – and as a metaphor for deep creative steering of your own life journey.

“Ancient” Polynesian celestial navigation has been such an creative, effective way of observation that indigenious people even described it as if it was not a sailor who sails out to find an island. You carefully observe stars, risings and settings of Sun and Moon, elements of nature around your sailing waka and then at some point, an island finally “comes to you”.

I feel it.

I experienced those moments in life.

You have gained skills, you are in full focus, you wait and at some point things happen and “come” to you by themselves.

Personal, skillful wayfinding. Like for centuries, since ancient times, on traditional Polynesian boats called waka.

You learn to observe and wait.

then…

The remote island is suddenly yours.

Ka’oha nui,

Iwona

*image of pirogue boat from Musee communal de Ua Huka during Marquesas Festival 14-18 December’25

” If you’re either into me or into islands – both physical and metaphoric islands – you’re welcome to follow my ISLAND project. Both on Water and Land – as a sailorette and artistic reasearcher – I’ll be adding to this website new input treasures with time.“

Iwona.