Tahitians
Testing Bombs in French Polynesia
July 2nd marked the 50th anniversary of a grim event: the first atomic test by the government of France on the island of Mururoa in French Polynesia. Radio New Zealand last week remembered the 30-year series of nuclear tests, from 1966 to 1996, by reviewing their effects on the Tahitian people and the protests that […]
The Rejuvenation of Tahitian Dance
Puritanical religious authorities tried to stamp out traditional Tahitian dancing in an earlier era, but according to one website devoted to the subject, ori Tahiti, Tahitian dance, is making a strong comeback. It is, as the website says, “a typical expression of the Polynesian soul.” The website, TahitiDanceOnline.com, published a post on December 23, 2015, […]
Mana from Tahiti
South Pacific travel websites last week marked the rollout of a new campaign to boost tourism in Tahiti by publicizing a branding approach called “Embraced by Mana.” The PR release gushed, “The iconic beauty of The Islands [sic] of Tahiti and the unique Tahitian culture are showcased in the new global brand ….” Seeking to […]
Tahitians Learning from the Maori
A delegation from Tahiti recently visited a Maori community in New Zealand in order to study their approaches to teaching their language to children, since the use of Tahitian is dying out.
Tahitians Cherish their Natural Heritage
Tahitians living near a subdivision under construction on Huahine are protesting the destruction of their natural environment, especially the backfilling of land on the shore of a small lake. An article last week in La Dépêche de Tahiti, a major Tahitian daily newspaper, describes the growing local controversy. The north end of Huahine, one of […]
A French Polynesian Novel Portrays Tahitian Culture [journal article review]
A scholarly analysis of a 2004 French Polynesian novel suggests that there are different ways of understanding the history and culture of the Tahitians, especially in contrast to those of the French colonizers. The scholars, Andrew Cowell and Maureen DeNino, appear to suggest that the novel Hutu Pāinu: Tahiti, Racines et Déchirements by Marie-Claude Teissier-Landgraf […]
Domestic Violence among the Tahitians
A Tahitian news source reported last week that two different men had assaulted two different women, one in Papeete and the other on the normally more peaceful island of Huahine. Both women filed complaints with the police. The details serve to challenge the idea that the Tahitians are still able to maintain a peaceful society, […]
Conviction for Corruption Upheld against Flosse
Corrupt politicians are hardly news anywhere in the world, but Gaston Flosse, the President of French Polynesia, might deserve a prize as an extreme example of the phenomenon. The highest court in France last Thursday upheld his conviction for corruption last year, which resulted in a suspended jail sentence for four years, a fine of […]
Traditional Ways on Huahine
Susan Spano described a scary incident that occurred on Huahine, one of the Society Islands located 100 miles northwest of Tahiti. A former travel writer for the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times, she was interviewed by the L.A. Times last week regarding a new book she has published about her career. She […]
Promoting Tourism in Tahiti
Oscar Temaru, the leader of the opposition in French Polynesia, has called on educators in the territory to begin teaching children in English rather than in French. In early May, Temaru, the leader of the pro-independence party, was defeated in territorial elections for president by his long-time opponent, Gaston Flosse, who wants the Tahitians to […]
