Hinaupoko Devèze shines as Miss France 2026. And if the beauty queen was born in French Polynesia, she also grew up in a small metropolitan village. The mayor is delighted!
Hinaupoko Devèze was born in Papeete, French Polynesia, and her mother is Tahitian. But did you know that Miss France 2026 also grew up in a little-known village in the mainland?
Hinaupoko Devèze, “rocked by the song of cicadas”: this village in Gard where she grew up
“My childhood was as much rocked by the song of cicadas as by the melody of the ukulele“, declared Hinaupoko Devèze during her election as Miss France, last December. The 23-year-old young woman grew up in the village of Pompignan, a commune in Gard which now has less than 1,000 inhabitants. She completed a large part of her schooling there, although she also lived in French Polynesia, New Caledonia then Montpellier, before settling in Tahiti in 2023.
On the set of Telematinthis January 6, Hinaupoko Devèze was also surprised to discover a video message recorded by the mayor of the village, Michel Fougairolle, particularly proud of this success, as were the inhabitants of Pompignan who were numerous to follow the election of the beauty queen and to support her.
“It is a first for Pompignan to have a Miss France who spent part of her childhood on the benches of our school. We congratulate you from the bottom of our hearts. Beyond beauty, I also wanted to emphasize intelligence, maturity and your commitment to mental health (…) Take advantage of this extraordinary year and we are waiting for you to share a friendly moment in the village of Pompignan“, he declared, facing a Miss France delighted to discover this message.
Why did Hinaupoko Devèze’s family settle in the Cévennes?
It was in 2009, when little Hinaupoko was only 6 years old, that she moved with her family to the village of Pompignan, after living for a year in Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort, a town located nearby. “His dad, Olivier Devèze, wanted to discover the Cévennes, land of his ancestors“, we read in Free Midday. “Former school director and teacher Christian Guillemat remembers a discreet little girl and a good student“, it is also specified.
In mainland France, Hinaupoko Devèze goes by another first name, since she is also called Céline. But she insisted on keeping her Polynesian first name for the election. “As Miss Tahiti, it made more sense for me to introduce myself under my Polynesian name“, she explained to TV Star.
