Tahitians
Pedophilia in Tahiti
A disturbing news story was published in Tahiti Infos on Tuesday last week about the existence of sexual violence against Tahitian children on the major islands of Tahiti and Moorea. The article included analyses by experts and remedies for the scourge of pedophilia. Two Tahitian organizations—the Compagnie du Caméléon and the Colosse aux Pieds d’Argile—have […]
Increases in Violence among the Tahitians
Like most of the other societies described in this website, the designation of the Tahitians as “peaceful” rests on careful analysis by a qualified anthropologist. Robert Levy convincingly provided detailed analyses of conditions on the ground in a particular time and place—the Society Islands in the 1960s. But how have social and cultural conditions changed […]
Ice in Tahiti
It is never wise to romanticize societies designated as “peaceful”—many of them have the same or very similar problems as the rest of humanity. For some of them, their pacifist beliefs and practices are still very important; for others, the peace traditions analyzed by prominent scholars now play only minor roles in their rhythms of […]
Stopping Climate Change with a Wheelbarrow
The journey to the U.S. by Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish advocate of taking action against climate change, has been widely covered by the major news media. In addition to being a leading actor in the youth climate activists’ movement, Ms. Thunberg evidently delights in catching the attention of people by making startling comments. She […]
The Transit of Venus
For some of the peaceful societies, glimpses of their traditions can be gleaned from histories of the Europeans who invaded their lands and who subsequently chronicled their own accomplishments. A good case in point would be the Tahitians, whose many customs were richly noted by the 18th century French and English visitors. While stories of […]
Atomic Bombs over the Tahitians
Thirty-six Tahitians have filed claims that they are still suffering from the effects of the radiation released over French Polynesia from the nuclear bomb testing conducted in the territory for many years. The government of France has responded by sending a team of experts to the Pacific territory to determine whether or not it should […]
Studying Tahitian
Teachers at the University of French Polynesia have been telling their classes that their Polynesian languages are in danger, so the students studying Tahitian decided to take action. According to a story in a major Polynesian news source on February 16, students studying reo mā’ohi (the language of the Tahitians) highlighted the different Polynesian languages […]
Tahitians Protest Destruction by Boaters
The Tahitian people living on the island of Huahine are getting quite irritated with the hordes of boaters who visit their community and regularly ignore the proper anchorage spots for their vessels. A news story last week in Tahiti Infos describes the environmental damage the boats cause and the reactions of the Tahitian people to […]
The Pakumotu Republic of the Tahitians
Athanase Terii, the self-styled King of the Pakumotu Republic, is refusing to quietly fade away and is back in the news once again. News reports of the dissident Tahitians who have been agitating for years for independence from French Polynesia were summarized in a news report in 2013. That story reviewed the unhappiness of some […]
Protecting the Rights of the Homeless
An interesting drama that played out last week in a courtroom in Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, evidently captured the attention and sympathies of the Tahitians. A magistrate agreed with the pleas of two homeless Tahitian people that they had the right to keep their dogs with them, despite the fact that they had […]
