Tahitians
Pakumotu Republic Fails to Fly its Flag
Last week, a nonviolent rebel group in Tahiti made its latest peaceful attempt to establish an independent nation in the Society Islands, free from French control and influence. The somewhat quixotic group, styling itself as the Republic of Hau Pakumotu, attempted to raise its flag over land it claims, but it was stopped by French […]
Tahitian Language Back in the News
Reports in June that the Tahitians were not allowed to speak their own language in the French Polynesia Territorial Assembly have irritated people in Tahiti. The assembly has taken up the matter and issued a protest, though some members of the opposition, the independence party, are opposed to even asking France for permission to speak […]
The Tahitian Language and Peacefulness
The Supreme Court of France recently struck down two laws passed in French Polynesia because some of the debates in the territorial assembly were held in the Tahitian language. In response, Édouard Fritch, the President of the Territorial Assembly, asked the President of France if he would support amending French laws to allow Tahitian to […]
Tahitians Vote in a New Government
In early May, the citizens of French Polynesia voted in a new president, an opponent of independence, prompting The Economist last week to weigh in on colonialism in the Pacific region. Tahiti is the most populous member of the Society Islands archipelago, which is the heart of French Polynesia. Throughout the Society Islands, people are […]
Labor Strikes in Peaceful Societies
Unrest among civil service employees has broken out in both Ladakh and in Tahiti, where government employees are striking to improve their retirement pay scales. While these two developments are purely coincidental, they suggest an important question: do strikes and other forceful activities, which try to compel others into taking a desired course of action, […]
Armed Forces To Withdraw from Tahiti
The government of France announced last week that by 2015 its military presence in Tahiti will be cut in half, from about 1770 people to 850. The personnel will be withdrawn from a marine infantry regiment based in Arue and Taravao and from an air force facility known as Base Aérienne 190, located near the […]
Political Rivalries in Tahiti [journal article review]
Political rivalries, popular demonstrations, and disruptive electioneering tarnished the chaotic election campaigns of late 2004 and early 2005 in French Polynesia. Political events at the time were easy enough to keep track of, but the underlying political and social forces were not effectively analyzed by the press at the time. Correcting that lack, Anne-Christine Trémon, […]
French Blunders Anger All Sides in Polynesia
French rule over the Tahitians is a constant reminder that remote colonial governments can be incredibly out of touch with the sensitivities of people they are governing. In an earlier era, colonial powers didn’t care about the desires of subject peoples, but now they pretend to—at least at times. Frequent blunders, such as ones by […]
French Atomic Bomb Tests Have Caused Cancer in Tahiti
The French government medical researcher concluded his letter with an ominous statement: “the atmospheric nuclear tests conducted by France contributed to increasing the incidence of thyroid cancer in French Polynesia.” For the first time, a French government official has admitted what the Tahitians have suspected for many years—their high rate of cancer is caused by […]
Special Issue of Ethos Devoted to Robert Levy [journal article review, part 3 of 3]
Robert Levy told his graduate student, Paula Levin, that he really disliked small talk, except when he was doing field research with the Tahitians, with whom he constantly conversed in an informal manner. Levin writes, in a recent issue of Ethos devoted to Levy, that his ability to engage people in such informal conversations were […]
