On the Marquesas Islands, a remote archipelago in French Polynesia they are celebrating the rituals of their ancestors. Every four years Marquesan of the 6 inhabited volcanic islands gather in an exchange of spiritual rites, traditional song and dance to the beat of drums and the underground roasting of meats. Celebrated are also the “Patutiki” body markings of tribal tattooing which is still heavily practiced among islanders. The symbols, along with various other traditions were discouraged and repressed when Christian Missionaries arrived to the islands in the 1700s and the natives were colonized by the French. The traditions would have been all but lost had it not been for a handful of explorers and cultural enthusiasts in the 19th century who shared historical evidence with the locals of their heritage. Today this heritage is celebrated proudly among islanders, manifested in everyday life and exponentially in this special gathering of the Matavaa o te Henua Enana. Although foreign spectators are welcome, they remain outsiders, during the 5-day long festival which remains an affair between Marquesan. This year the main island of Nuku Hiva hosted the festival, which was focused on ancestral energy. Dance groups from various islands were hosted in schools, gymnasiums, and private houses, some arriving by traditional, wooden pirogue boat.