Tahiti

Iaorana...or "good health" is the cultural greeting associated with the Tahitian Islands, part of French Polynesia, which has become well known worldwide. Not only is Tahiti politically important as the largest island that is an administrative center for the Polynesian islands, but the culture itself resonates with many like an ode to love and escapism. Apart from Hawai'i, nothing symbolizes all the over 100 island Archipelagos in French Polynesia quite like Tahiti's famed hip shakes and musical wooden drum rhythms. This form of expression is thought to have been a driving factor behind James Cook’s voyage searching for other Polynesian kingdoms of legend, and eventually drove Captain Bligh to punish mutineers on board The Bounty in 1787 when a majority decided to seek a peaceful existence in mythical Tabuya (Bounty Cove/Matavai Bay) instead. Ever since it has been filled with white sandy beaches and inviting waters that entice forever heavenly vacation photos. Tahiti fits that bill superbly, with its beautiful mountains, balmy climate, emerald and blue lagoons, and warm inviting people. You'll meet them at the Polynesian Cultural Center and gain insights into their fascinating culture.

Island activities:

Three times each afternoon — at 3:00, 4:00 and 5:00 — the Tahitians present in-depth demonstrations on their ancient culture:

Seeking an enlightening cultural experience? Learn why Tahitians make fragrant flower and beautiful shell lei, as well as create stirring traditional dances for both men and women. Go further on your journey and sample the delicious local fare like coconut bread or try a spot of fishing with your little ones! Tour their renowned gardens, don't miss out on the chance to hear their iconic wooden drums, and be sure to have some fun!What's more, there's plenty in store to explore– the opportunities are simply endless!

The "Village" houses:

The Fare Ari'i (also sometimes called the Fare Pote'e) is the all-important "chief's house" with "round ends," the large Fare Heiva or "celebration house" is the central location for the presentations, "grass skirt" and shellwork production and Te Tahua Orira'a — the dance platform. The Fare Ututu is the kitchen area where the Ahima'a or earth oven is located, surrounded by the plantation. There's also a Fare Tautai or "fishing hut" on the edge of the lagoon.

Learn more about Tahiti:

Tahiti . . . the very name evokes images of exotic tropical islands. They are images well deserved, for the beauty of the islands is matched by the spirit of the Polynesian people and the richness of their cultural traditions.

Tahiti today is a modern Pacific nation whose population is a cosmopolitan blend of ancient Polynesian heritage and French élan. Most of the Tahitians you will meet at the Polynesian Cultural Center have learned English as their third or even fourth language. For example, most of them grew up speaking Tahitian or another island dialect such as Tuamotu, then learned French in school and English as an elective. While the overlay of French culture and influence is undeniable, the Tahitians still take great pride in their ancient Polynesian heritage.

Location:

Tahiti is located about 2,400 southeast of Hawaii. It takes about five hours by commercial jetliner to get there from Honolulu, or about eight hours from Los Angeles. French Polynesia is situated about halfway between South America and Australia.

Geography:

French Polynesia, with its capital at Papeete on the island of Tahiti, is comprised of five archipelagos, including the Society Islands (where Tahiti is located), the Austral Islands, the Tuamotu atolls, the Gambier Islands, and the Marquesas. The Society group is further divided into the Windward Islands, or Îles du Vent: Tahiti, Moorea, Maiao, Tetiaroa, and Mehetia), and the Leeward Islands, or Îles Sous-le-Vent: Ra'iatea, Huahine, Taha'a, Bora Bora, Maupiti, Tupai, Maupiha'a/Mopelia, Manuae or Scilly, and Motu One or Bellingshausen.

All of the groups are mostly volcanic high-rise islands, except the Tuamotu chain, which is comprised of low-lying coral atolls.

French Polynesia covers a vast area of the southeastern Pacific Ocean, but its total landmass covers only 3,543 sq. km.

Population:

There are approximately 262,000 residents of Tahiti, about 78% of them from the various French Polynesian islands, another 12% of Chinese descent, and the remainder are various Europeans (primarily French).

History and European discovery:

Like all Polynesians, the Tahitians did not have a writing system that recorded their ancient sojourns; but anthropologists believe they migrated to their islands over 2,000 years ago from central Polynesia, probably from Samoa. The early Tahitians also spread throughout the area to other island groups, including Rarotonga (the Cook Islands), the Tuamotu islands, the Marquesas, and eventually even Hawaii.

British Capt. Samuel Wallis is the first known European to make contact with Tahiti in 1767, followed by French navigator Count Louis de Bougainville in 1768, British explorer Captain James Cook in 1769 and, of course, British Captain William Bligh and his first mate, Fletcher Christian, in 1789 aboard HMS Bounty.

For the next 50 years the British and French engaged in political negotiations for control of the islands in the area, with France emerging as the colonial power by 1842. In 1847 Queen Pomare accepted the protection of France; however, it wasn't until the hereditary leader, Pomare V, abdicated his throne in 1880 that France came to full power in the region.

Over the ensuing years, various artists have helped spread the appeal of Tahiti to the rest of the world, including Robert Louis Stevenson in the 1890s, French artist Paul Gauguin who came in 1901 and died in the Marquesas in 1903. World War I veterans Charles Nordhoff and James Hall moved there in 1920 and made the mutiny on the Bounty famous with their trilogy that has been made into a series of movies. American author James Michener was stationed on the fabled island of Bora Bora during World War II and, of course, went on to write his first well-known book, Tales of the South Pacific, partially based on that and other island experiences.

The people became French citizens in 1946, and although the islands are still an overseas territory of France, they gained self-governing status in 1977.

Languages:

French, Tahitian, other French Polynesian dialects, and some English. Tahitian and the other distinct French Polynesian dialects, such as those spoken in the Tuamotu islands, are closely related to all other dialects throughout the Polynesian Triangle. For example, a Tahitian chief is an ari'i, while a Samoan or a Hawaiian chief is an ali'i. A Tahitian house is a fare [pronounce both syllables] while a New Zealand Maori house is a whare (which is pronounced the same as its Tahitian counterpart).

Like many Polynesian dialects, reduplicated words — such as Bora Bora — are common; and often have the effect of intensifying the meaning of a single occurrence: For example, nui may mean 'big' while nuinui means 'very big.'

While Tahitian is still widely spoken throughout French Polynesia, many young people today communicate almost exclusively in French.

Tahitian Houses and village life:

The houses in the Polynesian Cultural Center's Tahitian "village" represent traditional historical architecture, whereas almost all modern Tahitians invariably live in European style houses.

Fare Ari'i:

The fare ari'i or "chief's dwelling" is also called a fare pote'e because its round-ended style of architecture was usually reserved for chiefs and nobles. The larger this type of house is, the higher the rank of the owner.

The chief's more important furnishings included many large finely woven mats, the nohora'a or four-legged wooden seats for high ranking individuals, the turu'a or wooden headrest, and an elevated bed. Traditionally, everyone slept on the floor, which was cushioned with aretu grass and covered with mats. The elevated bed, a concept introduced by Europeans, consisted of three parts: first, a layer of dried banana leaves; second, a layer of mats piled on top of one another for softness; and third, a coverlet or blanket which originally was made of woven lauhala (pandanus) leaves. In more modern times thin tifaifai quilts became favored for their bright colors. They are also easy to wash and much more practical.

As in Hawaii, the wives of early Christian missionaries taught Tahitian women the art of quilting, which they call tifaifai. Tahitian quilting (and the nearly identical Rarotongan tivaevae) differs from the Hawaiian style, however, in that they do not pad tifaifai with batting, nor do they sew the three layers together. Their quilts have only an appliquéd or pieced-together front which is backed with a complementary colored cloth. The design of Tahitian tifaifai also differs from Hawaiian quilts (or kapa) in that they favor either large boldly-colored overall designs which are appliquéd, or they piece together intricate patchwork designs using tiny cutouts of colored cloth. On very special occasions or celebrations, Tahitian women bring out their treasured tifaifai, which have been carefully stored, and display them for all to enjoy.

Other personal effects in the fare ari'i include costumes, small boxes of highly valued red feathers, drums, flowers, and tiki carvings. Tiki were designed and placed to ward off evil spirits. The largest tiki were usually located on the marae or temple enclosures.

Te Tahua Orira’a:

The Tahitian "dance platform" originally occupied an important location in the village and was sometimes elevated for better viewing. Ancient Hawaiians had a similar practice of building what are now called "hula mounds," some of which have survived to this day. The Tahitian dance platform at the Polynesian Cultural Center is part of the fare heiva for the comfort of the guests.

The tradition of entertainment in Tahiti once centered on a special guild of traveling performers called the arioi who sailed on great double-hulled canoes from bay to bay and island to island, performing dance, pantomime dramas and chants. They usually performed in honor of Oro, their deity of peace, agriculture and fertility.

The Tahitians at the Polynesian Cultural Center demonstrate their traditional ote'a or drumming dances, including the graceful yet energetic hip-shaking ori Tahiti or tamure which young and old perform throughout its islands. While the women demonstrate remarkable dexterity with their hip movements, that are accented by the more [pronounce both syllables] or fiber skirts, the best female dancers are expected to keep their shoulders relatively still throughout the performance.

The compelling rhythms of the dance are provided by traditional to'ere or horizontal slit-gong wooden drums, and fa'atete or upright wooden drum. As you listen to the drums, notice the intricate rhythms and how they all blend to guide and inspire the dancers. The pahu or tari parau were the most important of Tahitian percussive instruments: They were covered with sharkskin played with drumsticks. The ancient pahu rima, which was beaten with the hands, has become a common drum in modern Tahiti. Accompanied by the vivo or bamboo nose flutes, these instruments were originally used during sacred ceremonies or to entertain royalty.

More modern Tahitian dances feature the guitar and ukulele which have become important since their introduction by European settlers; but as in Hawaii, the islanders have added their own stylings and strummings to these instruments. The Tahitians also sometimes use bamboo nose flutes about one foot long with three holes — one for blowing and two for stops. These are nearly identical to the nose flutes of the Hawaiians and Tongans.

Fare Ravera'a Ohipa:

Tahitian women created shell lei, woven mats, baskets and other household furnishings, while the men carved tiki statues and wooden drums, or to'ere, in the "house to do work." Though traditionally a separate house, the fare ravera'a ohipa has been combined into the fare more [pronounce both syllables] at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Before turning them into beautiful jewelry creations, the women gather the shells from both land and sea sources and clean out the animals living inside by leaving them in the direct sunlight or burying them in the sand. The shells that are to be strung must first be individually punched with a single hole using a nail or an awl. Anciently a shark's tooth was used as a hole punch, and then the shells were strung together using coconut husk fiber sennit (although today nylon is used for its strength and durability). In ancient Tahiti lengths of purau or wild hibiscus fiber were also used as cording or string.

Tahitian women mainly use pandanus and coconut leaves to weave baskets, mats, fans, hats and other household items. Pandanus leaves are dried, cleaned, and stripped to make them more pliable and attractive for weaving. Coconut leaves are used fresh and are kept as long as they are usable.

Skilled men of Tahiti carve native woods into the traditional to'ere, a small drum in which a narrow section has been dug out so when the sides of the wood are hit with a hard drumstick, the to'ere produces a clear, clean, ringing sound. Tahitian drummers are particularly noted for their syncopated rhythms.

Fare More:

In the "dancing skirt workshop" you’ll learn that Tahitian and other Polynesian dancing skirts are not made out of grass. They are, in fact, made from the inner bark of the purau or wild hibiscus tree. The workers strip off the bark layers from the main stem of the branches, then soak them in water until the layers can be easily separated. The outer layers are stripped and discarded. The silky light-colored inner layers are rinsed clean and left to dry in the sun.

After the inner layers are dried, they are shredded into narrow strips. These are artfully looped individually around a rope made from the same fibers. When the rope is completely covered with strands to the required waist size, a cloth waistband is attached to it. A skirt will require approximately 500 strands. Tassels, flower designs, shells, and other items are also used to enhance the more skirt, which accentuates the movement of the hips.

When a woman's more is completed, it can weigh as much as seven or eight pounds. Dancers find that the heavier the skirts, the better the swaying motion as they move their hips. Another advantage of heavier skirts is they tend not to slip off during the dance. Women's skirts are usually ankle length, while the men's go to a little below the knees. For special festivities, dancers try to wear the most elaborately-decorated costumes, including exotic headdresses and headbands.

Fare Tautai:

A Tahitian family who lived near the sea would most probably have a "fishing hut" made out of bamboo and a roof covered with bundled coconut leaves or sugar cane leaves. The fishing hut would contain minimal furnishings, although sometimes it may have a bed; and certainly fish traps hanging from special hooks, a bench or other types of seating, fishing poles, gourds used as containers, nets, ropes and other equipment needed to catch fish efficiently.

Tahitian fish traps were not actually used to trap fish but to store them alive until they were to be eaten. The fish were caught first, whether by line or net, and then placed inside the bamboo trap. The door was then closed and the whole trap placed in the water and kept halfway afloat using floats carved out of purau (balsa or wild hibiscus wood).

Each night a fisherman would bring the nets, ropes, traps, and other equipment inside the shed for repair and safekeeping. The next morning he was ready to start a new day of fishing. From small sheds such as this, fishermen wait for the right time to go fishing, while away the hours chatting with a friend, or watching over their pearl oyster crop.

Fishing for pearls and pearl farming — especially Tahitian black pearl farming — has become a very successful enterprise in Tahiti, especially the warm water lagoons of the Tuamotu archipelago where traditional pearl beds have been revitalized by modern technology and consultation with experts in the overseas pearl business such as Japan. Pearl shells for buttons also constitutes an important export product for French Polynesia.

Fare Ututu:

The "outdoor kitchen" is a partially open structure positioned so its smoke would not interfere with the main house. The fare ututu is built so the prevailing trade winds blow toward the enclosed back, driving the smoke out the open front.

In Tahiti, both men and women shared in the cooking chores. Food preparation took place on the table platform in the back area. A man would typically gather the vegetables, hunt pigs and birds, fish in the deeper waters, and perform the more strenuous cooking chores. Women would help prepare the food and assist the men in making the...

Ahima'a or Earth Oven: The "earth oven," common throughout Polynesia, is called an ahima'a in Tahiti. Tahitians traditionally used an ahima'a once a day to prepare a mid-morning meal. Very similar to a Hawaiian imu, to make an ahima'a several dozen volcanic rocks are first heated over a roaring fire set in a hole about a foot or more deep, depending on the amount of food to cook.

When the rocks are glowing red, any remaining firewood is removed and the rocks are spread out. A layer of banana stump fibers, which contain a lot of moisture and have been pounded into a stringy mass, is placed immediately on the hot rocks. Next, food to feed the family for a day is wrapped in a variety of leaves and placed on the banana fibers. Vegetables like breadfruit, taro, umara (sweet potato), ufi (yam) and green bananas are scraped and peeled and placed on the rocks among the other food items. Then broad leaves, specially-woven mats made from the leaves of the wild hibiscus tree, or old mats are used to seal in the heat, essentially creating a steam cooker. Very often earth or sand is spaded on top of everything to ensure the best results.

Polynesian Plantation:

All Polynesians planted and maintained their own gardens or plantations such as the one at the Polynesian Cultural Center, and kept domestic animals. The plantation often included non-edible plants grown for their flowers and leaves which Tahitians used for adornment and decoration.

Since contact with the western world, many plant species have been imported into Polynesia, while others — such as the breadfruit which originally brought Capt. Bligh and HMS Bounty to Tahiti — have been explored to other tropical climes. The Tahitian plantation includes:

Bananas: Polynesians have possessed banana trees since time immemorial. Although they are grown for food, banana trees are also favored for their landscape value. Bananas are measured according to the number of "hands" or clusters on a bunch. Bananas are very nutritious and, of course, are eaten ripe; but they are also boiled or baked while still green and eaten more like a staple vegetable. Each banana tree yields only one harvest, after which the trunk is usually cut down and used in the ahima'a; otherwise, the trunk will rot. Banana leaves are also used for a variety of food preparation purposes. New banana trees offshoots grow out of the root of the old stump; or the root can be dug out, quartered, and each piece re-planted to grow into new banana trees.

Tapioca or manioc: When tapioca roots reach the size of large yams, they are peeled for boiling, roasting, or steaming in the underground oven as a basic staple food in much of Polynesia. Cooked tapioca usually accompanies meat, fish or chicken. When the red-stemmed leaves are young and tender, they can be boiled as greens — twice in fresh water to remove the hydrocyanic acid which some varieties contain. In the process of making tapa or bark cloth, boiled tapioca roots are also rubbed over the beaten fibers to glue and paste the layers of bark cloth together. The tapioca used in puddings and for thickening sauces that many Americans and Europeans are familiar with comes from the cooked roots which are then processed for those purposes.

Starfruit or carambola is an evergreen fruit tree native to Java. It is noted for its sweet/sour fruit, borne on the trunk and lower branches. Its name is derived from the pentagonal shape of the fruit formed by five ridges running from the base to the apex which, when sliced, are star-shaped. Its waxy skin turns to a translucent yellow when ripe. The texture is crisp and the flesh is juicy like an apple. Starfruit can be squeezed for juice, eaten plain, or sliced into fruit salad.

Soursop is an evergreen from the West Indies with fragrant laurel-like leaves. The unusual fruit is prickly and kidney-shaped and weighs up to 6 pounds. Soursops are ready for picking when they grow to the size of a large grapefruit. Soursops are particularly delicious when made into a sherbet or juiced with lots of ice.

Mango trees can grow to great heights. They are especially favored for their delicious golden-colored fruit and a single, stringy seed. The fruit has been described as a combination of a cantaloupe, peach, apricot and papaya. Mango is sometimes eaten green, or even cooked when green.

Mountain Apple (or Malay Apple) grows wild in the shady, moist, protected valleys throughout Polynesia. It features beautiful pinkish-red flowers with short stems that grow directly from the trunk and main branches of the tree. The ripe fruit is shaped like small, shiny red pears but tastes like an apple with white, crispy, juicy flesh. When they are in season in Hawaii, mountain apples are sold from vehicles parked alongside the road, at the swap meets, or at local country stores.

Noni (or Indian Mulberry) is an attractive medium-sized tree that easily grown from seeds. The young leaves can be cooked and eaten for their high vitamin A content. The fruit, which is bright green on the outside and white inside, somewhat resembles a washed Irish potato. Although it's edible, it's not recommended for eating. Most Polynesians use it for medicinal purposes. Tahitians also boil the roots to produce a yellow dye.

Breadfruit or 'uru grows from a beautiful, tall tree with large tropical leaves. The green globe-shaped fruits are usually about the size of a cantaloupe but can grow up to eight pounds in weight. When boiled or baked, they taste like sweet potato rather than bread and are high in carbohydrates. On some islands, breadfruit grows year round, while there's a marked season in other islands, with one or more harvests a year. The fruit matures in approximately 6-8 months when it turns yellow-green and the "eyes" or squares on the skin surface smooth out and are covered with white sap. The ancient Polynesians learned long ago how to preserve breadfruit over long periods of time as food storage in case of famines, or for long ocean journeys.

Sweet potato needs little attention to flourish, hence its popularity in the South Pacific where a harvest is ready about every 6 months. The roots are a basic root crop which are baked or boiled and the leaves and stems are cooked as vegetable greens. This plant is believed to have originated in the Americas. It continues to be cultivated in various Polynesian islands. Unlike regular potatoes, sweet potatoes are grown from slips: Polynesian tradition requires that three slips be planted per small mound of soil.

Plumeria, a member of the periwinkle family with stiff blunt branches that are easily broken, are grown widely in warm climates for their thick waxy flowers with a pleasant, distinctive fragrance. Because the flowers are durable and remain fresh for a long time, especially the yellow varieties, they are used extensively for lei. They represent a warm welcome in both Tahiti and Hawaii.

The tiare or star-shaped Tahitian gardenia is the official island flower of French Polynesia. This white flower is often mixed with coconut oil and used as a perfume by the Tahitians. The flowers are also woven into heipo'o headbands and lei. The tiare has has inspired many Tahitian artists: quilters use the designs for their traditional tifaifai quilts, song composers often mention its beauty in metaphor, and fabric designers use tiare motifs in the creation of their pareo [also spelled pareau in French] wrap-arounds and costumes.

Shell ginger with its very generous bush of leaves is one of the most commonly grown members the ginger family. It is identified by the hanging clusters of pink shell-like buds which look like a stiff strand of closely strung seashells.

Croton, a native to Malaysia and other Pacific Islands, is a very popular shrub because of its permanently colored leaves in red, pink, orange, yellow, gold, bronze and green. Crotons are admired for their almost limitless variety of shape, patterns and color. The colors are at their brightest growing in full sunlight. There are four main croton leaf shapes: linear, lance-shaped, oval and lobed; but all crotons belong to a single species even though there seems to be an limitless variety of them. The differences in shape, patterns and colors are due to horticultural variations.

The kamani tree, called the Alexandrian laurel in some parts of the world, is native to India. It grows wild along the seashore and is very resistant to salt spray. The oval, reddish fruit contain nuts which produce oil much used by the ancient Hawaiians as mentioned in their chants. In Tahiti, where it is called autera'a, island men utilize the wood to make to'ere drums, regular drums, drum sticks, and tapa beaters. The branches are also used for firewood.

Hau or the wild hibiscus is found throughout tropical Polynesia, usually near the beaches. It has the unusual habit of creeping and twisting along the ground instead of growing upright. As the branches continue interlocking, they eventually form jungles too thick to penetrate. It is frequently trained to grow over shelters and arbors to provide shade. Native Hawaiians used the curved branches of this tree to make outriggers for their canoes. During the course of a day, the flower color which begins a clear bright yellow changes to an apricot hue, which in turn changes to a final dark red. In Tahiti, where the wild hibiscus borders rivers, women braid the leaves together to form a thick, closely-woven mat to insulate the food in their earth ovens.

Hibiscus: Pick a hibiscus and observe how the flowers follow a plan of five: 5 petals, 5 stigmas, and 5 lobes to the calyx. The yellow hibiscus is the state flower of Hawaii. Hibiscus are continuously used to decorate luaus, buffet tables and both women and men's hair. Many hibiscus grow throughout the Polynesian Cultural Center, especially in hedges of red, pink and white. Hibiscus flowers last only from sunrise to sunset.

Bougainvillea, named after the 18th century French navigator and Pacific explorer, Count Louis de Bougainville, is known for its bright colors which range from the dark shades of purple, crimson, and orange to light pinks and whites. The flowers are actually tiny and inconspicuous, but it is the brilliantly-colored three-part bracts (a leaf-like plant part usually small but occasionally showy and sometimes brightly-colored, located either below a flower or on the stalk of a flower cluster) which brighten many gardens. Gardeners and guests must watch out for the bougainvillea's large thorns.

Vanilla, which was imported into Polynesia in the early 1800's to develop cash crops for export, is a vine of the orchid family that grows best in interior valleys. The vines require five years after planting to produce a harvest of bean pods. In the commercial production of vanilla, farmers must hand pollinate each flower to insure pod production. Vanilla beans are cured and dried until the vanillin in the bean crystallizes on the outer edge. They are then packaged for overseas export to countries such as France, the United States, West Germany and Australia.

Interesting Factoid:

Tahitian craftsmen sometimes bury newly carved wooden drumsticks in mud for several years before using them to assure just the right degree of hardness and proper tuning.