a , a kind of political and ritual center with chief's residence, meeting place and house (ha'e ko'o'ua or elders' house), warriors' house (ha'e toa), tattoo house (ha'e patu tiki) and cooking place (ha'e kuki). In Ua Pou you can find or buy so-called "flower stones.” These are rare trachyte stones with decorative inclusions that look like flowers. Ua Pou is known for its excellent wood carvers. In Hakahau, there are several talented artists whose works can be purchased. Since the first Marquesas Art Festival was held on Ua Pou in 1987, it has become a regular activity, held every year in different locations. Religion At present, the majority of the population professes Christianity as a result of the activity of both Catholic and Protestant missionaries. The French Catholic mission in the Marquesas from 1838 to 1839 under the auspices of Admiral Abel Aubert Dupetit-Thouars did not initially have any consequences for Ua Pou. In the Hakamoui valley lived the chief Heato (atua heato = God Heato), a follower of the ancient religion with human sacrifice and ritual cannibalism, who was revered as divine. He fiercely resisted European occupiers and missionaries. He was said to have a preference for untattooed human flesh, a rumor that made a longer stay seem less desirable to Europeans. It was only after Heato's death in 1846 that the French missionaries were able to gain a foothold. Hakahetau has the first stone church in the Marquesas, built in 1859. It is dedicated to St. Joseph. Heato's daughter and successor, Teiki Teiuao, managed to unite all the tribes of the island under her hegemony in 1860 with the help of European firearms. However, a smallpox epidemic almost completely depopulated the island and put an end to her imperial aspirations. Hakahau's most notable building is the Eglise Saint Étienne, built in 1981 and dedicated to St. Stephen. The modern church is built in the traditional Polynesian style. The interior decoration shows the high level of the art of carving in the Marquesas. The unusual boat-shaped pulpit is carved from the stump of a huge tropical tree rooted in the ground. See also Overseas France Dependent Territory References Islands of the Marquesas Islands Communes of French Polynesia Volcanoes of French Polynesia