Internal Autonomy Day – June 29, 2025

History of Internal Autonomy Day

French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of France. It consists of 121 islands and atolls that stretch over an area of around 1,200 miles in the South Pacific Ocean. It is believed that the islands were inhabited around 1500 B.C. when Austronesian peoples journeyed across the Pacific Ocean during the Great Polynesian Migration. In about 200 B.C., the Marquesas Islands were the first French Polynesia islands to be settled. Further voyages southwest led to the discovery of the Society Islands around 300 A.D.

The first European contact with the region was in 1521 when Portuguese conquistador Ferdinand Magellan sighted Puka-Puka in the Tuāmotu-Gambier Archipelago. The first European settlement in French Polynesia came in 1774 when the Spanish set up a base. Christian missions to Tahiti began soon after, many settling permanently from as far back as 1797. French Catholic missionaries arrived in Tahiti in 1834 and by 1842, Tahiti and Tahuata were declared French protectorates.

After many years of annexation, Polynesians were granted French citizenship in 1946, and the islands were deemed overseas territory. In 1957, the French changed the islands’ name to Polynésie Française. In 1977, French Polynesia was granted partial internal autonomy, and by 1984, it achieved complete internal autonomy. As a result, Internal Autonomy Day is observed on June 29 every year. It honors Tahitian and French Polynesian self-rule. Additionally, it marks the annexation of the Kingdom of Tahiti and the handover of control to France by King Pomare V. While many political parties celebrate the day with festivities, some also believe it should be a day of mourning instead. Nonetheless, celebrations happen on June 29 mainly in the national capital of Papeete, and include parades, entertainment, and concerts.