Tahiti is estimated to have been settled between CE 300 and
800 by Polynesians, although some estimates place the date earlier. These first
settlers are believed to have travelled thousands of miles across open sea by Polynesian
navigation from the western archipelagoes of Samoa or Tonga. In 1770, James
Cook observed in Tahiti, a great traditional ship (va'a) 33 m
(108 ft) in length. Tahitian society was composed of chiefdoms and
territories based on kinship and military power among various clans. A clan was
led by a chief (Ali'i rahi), nobles (Ari'i) and lesser chiefs. The Ari'i were
believed to be
