- Talietumu
Talietumu or more correctly Kolo Nui ( [http://www.usp.ac.fj/editorial/jpacs_new/ChristopheSand.pdf 1] ) is an archaeological site in
Wallis and Futuna in the southwestern part of thePacific Ocean .The site
Talietumu is situated about 9 km (6 miles) southwest of the capital of "
Mata-Utu " close by the villages of "Halalo" and "Lotoalahi" in the Mu'a district onWallis Island (Uvea) ( [http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/wallis-and-futuna/ 2] ).The site was a fortified
Tonga n settlement called Kolo Nui ( [http://members.lycos.co.uk/pacificeddy/lazy%20lagoon%20days.htm 3] ) and the whole fortress is surrounded by a strongdefensive wall build ofbasalt with several entrances. Inside the fort there are a few preserved buildings and structures, lawns and the central elevated platform called Talietumu (a "Marae " or "Mala´e", "Sacred Place") ( [http://members.lycos.co.uk/pacificeddy/lazy%20lagoon%20days.htm 4] ). The platform is of circular prolonged shape upon a circular stockade base ( [http://www.usp.ac.fj/editorial/jpacs_new/ChristopheSand.pdf 5] ). Raised walkways paved in stone start from the "marae" and radiate in all directions inside the fort.History
The fort was build around
1450 AD during the expansion of theTu'i Tonga Empire and it was the last holdout of the Tongans on Uvea until they were defeated.French archaeologists "Daniel Frimigacci", "Jean-Pierre Siorat" and "Maurice Hardy" of the french "CNRS" (
Centre national de la recherche scientifique ) have restored the central platform for several years using original technique and completed that work around1997 . The platform now measures about 5 meters in height and about 80 m in length ( [http://www.usp.ac.fj/editorial/jpacs_new/ChristopheSand.pdf 6] ).Today the ruins of the fortress are a popular tourist attraction:
External links
* [http://www.artlys.com/morpheus.aspx?sysName=Description&sysLanguage=fr-fr&itemId=1647&itemPos=4&itemCount=15&itemSort=fr-fr_sort_string1 about Talietumu (in french) ]
* [http://www.pacific-picture.de/galleri/wallis/62-018e.htm pictures from Talietumu]
* [http://www.artlys.com/morpheus.aspx?sysName=Zoom&sysLanguage=fr-fr&sys
]
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