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French Polynesia, the islands of Cythera |
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Wallis, the first European in Tahiti |
On June 17, 1767, the Tahitians saw a huge ship approach their island. It was "The Dolphin"
commanded by Captain Samuel Wallis
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Bougainvillé and the Island of Cythera |
The Age of Enlightenment, during the 18th century, was marked in Europe by a real cultural revolution,
that is to say the refusal to embrace
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Cook and Science |
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The Age of Enlightenment was also marked by great scientific discoveries.
Indeed, while the philosophers dared to question society's founding principles
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Iaorana Maeva ! (Hello and Welcome!) |
When anyone, a visitor or Tahitian alike, arrives on Tahitian ground, he is offered a
necklace of flowers as a welcoming gift
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Bora Bora, the Pearl of the Pacific |
Bora Bora is the smallest of the Society Islands, and probably one of the most beautiful as well.
The romantic Captain de Bougainvillé was right
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onjour!
this month we have chosen to take a long trip, dedicating our newsletter to Tahiti
and its Society Islands. This little French corner of paradise located at the end of the world
(about a six hour flight from Los Angeles) was discovered almost by accident by European
sailors. We couldn't resist sharing with you the pleasure of touring these Pacific Ocean
islands with such varied and marvelous landscapes. It is impossible not to be captivated
by the sight of such absolutely magnificent and unique nature: Old volcanoes with jagged
relief, deep forests with luxuriant vegetation, magnificent atolls surrounded by coral
reefs filled with multicolored fish, and translucent lagoons with an unreal optical
quality. Ia Ora na e Maeva i Tahiti! (Hello and Welcome to Tahiti).
But before continuing, please remember that you can access and read all the newsletters already
published at http://www.francemonthly.com/
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Polynesia and its many islands
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French Polynesia is made up of 118 islands scattered across an area the size of Europe.
Their formation started several million years ago with the emergence of volcanoes from
the bottom of the ocean. Some very active ones produced very high and large islands,
while others less powerful left behind smaller islands of a more modest elevation and surface area.
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Tupaï Island
(Click photo to enlarge)
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These mountains of fire eventually went out, leaving winds and rains to carry out
slow and meticulous erosion over the following years, centuries and millenniums.
Valleys were carved, entire sections of mountains collapsed, and bays were shaped.
Around those islands which enjoyed warmer waters, coral reefs slowly formed welcoming
abundant submarine life. Still today, this work continues unperturbed while the whole
of the surface land now covers a territory smaller than the state of Rhode Island,
less than 1545 sq. miles... on certain islands, like Tahiti, the ancient volcano summits
reach more than 6,560 ft, while on others, the last remaining volcanic peaks have
completely subsided into the middle of the lagoon, leaving behind splendid atolls
with occasionally unusual and romantic shapes. These tiny pieces of land are grouped
together on five archipelagos with names alone that make you dream: The Marquesas
Islands, the Tuamotus Islands, the Gambier Islands, the Austral Islands and the
Society Islands. Let's start our wonderful travel in the latter.
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The Mana
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Before the Europeans arrived in the 18th century, the political and social organization
of Polynesian society was very hierarchical. It was divided into three very distinct
castes. The peasants and the fishermen were at the very bottom (in other words they
were the slaves). Then came the nobility, often the heads of the villages, but with
extremely limited rights. Finally, at the top of the pyramid were the members of the
royal family, considered to be direct descendants of the gods. The Ari'i, or king,
was a sacred figure. Everything he touched became "tapu" or prohibited. His food
represented deadly poison for the ordinary man. In order to prevent the ground he
traveled on from being closed to traffic for several days, he had to be carried by
immunized people. His subjects had to sit down when he stood and lie down when he
sat, because no one could ever be at his same height. Tahitians worshipped him
because he possessed the "Mana", or supernatural power passed on by the gods.
However, even though he was the supreme ruler, he did not have a monopoly on this
divine energy. The island inhabitants believed in a galaxy of all powerful gods
who would demonstrate their will through their Mana. This they could pass on to
natural elements, objects, and also to men, even the most common if they had
proved themselves to be brave.
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Recipe for Feb 2008
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Tahitian Fish
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Wallis, the first European in Tahiti
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On June 17, 1767, the Tahitians saw a huge ship approach their island. It was "The Dolphin",
commanded by Captain Samuel Wallis. They had never before seen anything like it. At once
terrified and curious, they boarded their dugout canoes and set out to meet the ship.
Afraid of the unknown, they attacked the crew with their unsophisticated weaponry which
included small stones, pieces of bones, pieces of coral, and unimpressive spears.
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The Lagoon of Raiatea Island
(Click photo to enlarge)
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What they got in return were cannon shots. They deduced that this violent response
had to be the manifestation of divine wrath. No doubt the gods were unleashing their
deep rage with the rumbling thunder and bursts of lightning. And so the unequal fighting
stopped almost as soon as it had begun. The island's inhabitants bowed to these outsiders
who had come from a world that up until then they didn't even know existed. They believed
these men to be living gods who had also been invested with the Mana and welcomed them with
deference and veneration. They laid many offerings at their feet, flowers, fruits, animals,
and even women, in exchange for which they were given fabrics, shiny objects, and also
unfortunately, alcohol and weapons. They were so used to a bountiful nature providing
them with everything they needed that they were quick to bury a few weapons and metal
tools in the ground and watered them regularly, convinced that nature would provide them
with these as well. It was an easy feat for Wallis to take hold of the island in the name
of George III, King of England.
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Bougainvillé and the Island of Cythera
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The Age of Enlightenment, during the 18th century, was marked in Europe by a real
cultural revolution, that is to say
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The Lagoon of Bora Bora Island
(Click photo to enlarge)
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the refusal to embrace preconceived ideas
imposed by any "authority" figure whatsoever. Critical thinking spread and philosophers
started questioning the state of the world, and of society and the human condition.
They rose up against injustices, religious intolerance and absolutism.Jean-Jacques
Rousseau passionately defended the idea that "Man is naturally good and
that only society corrupts him and makes him miserable" (A Dissertation on the Origin
and Foundation of the Inequality of Mankind, 1754). What followed all these new ways
of thinking was the desire to discover other locales where the world was a better
place, and with that goal in mind numerous expeditions succeeded one another in the
Pacific. In April 1768, only a few months after the passage of The Dolphin, two French
ships, The Star and The Sulker, dropped anchor on the island of Tahiti. These gods from
another place received a warm welcome. Captain Louis-Antoine de Bougainvillé, at the head
of the expedition, and known to have a romantic side, marveled at the sight of these
smiling and generous half-naked men and women. He was convinced at once that Rousseau's
theory of the "goodness of primitive man" was correct. Once back in France, he contributed
a great deal to the propagation of the myth of a paradise on earth.
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Cook and Science
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The Age of Enlightenment was also marked by great scientific discoveries. Indeed,
while the philosophers dared to question society's founding principles, scientists
for their part were trying out new experiments and revising the laws of physics
that had been widely accepted up until then.
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A Protestant church in Tahaa Island
(Click photo to enlarge)
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It was in this historical context that Wallis came back to England, and the admiralty
had already decided to send a new expedition to the Pacific. So Cook, an excellent
cartographer and a prudent sailor, boarded The Endeavour in 1769 taking with him an
astronomer in charge of following the transit of Venus, and two other scientists whose
mission it was to study the flora and fauna. He was worshipped as a god on the islands.
He made several trips there and back, from which he developed a very useful description
of Tahitian traditions, but also an accurate overall map of the Pacific Ocean islands.
At the same time, it must be said, he also set out to appropriate some land before the
arrival of the French, and convince the Polynesians that there was only one god, a mission
that was eventually carried out successfully by the priests. This was not lost on the king
of England.
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Iaorana Maeva ! (Hello and Welcome!) |
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When anyone, a visitor or Tahitian alike, arrives on Tahitian ground, he is offered
a necklace of flowers as a welcoming gift. This tradition goes back to a time when
Polynesians did not know of metal or gems, and therefore could not make any jewelry.
Nonetheless, the men and women of the islands were expert in the art of seduction.
Before each rendez-vous, they would bathe to rid themselves of any bodily odors,
and would cover themselves in perfume. Then they would decorate their hair with
garlands of sweet-smelling flowers and would make other flower crowns with which
to adorn their guests. The Tahitian Gardenia is the emblematic flower of Polynesia
and when you are out for a stroll along the roads, you will often encounter a woman,
whether young or more mature, with a crown of flowers embellishing her long brown
hair. A flower worn behind an ear replaces the engagement ring. On the right ear,
it means that the man or woman is searching for a soul mate, while petals turned
backwards invite the suitor or suitors to declare their love.
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Bora Bora, the Pearl of the Pacific
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Bora Bora is the smallest of the Society Islands, and probably one of the most beautiful as well.
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Bora Bora Island at Sunset
(Click photo to enlarge)
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The romantic Captain de Bougainvillé was right, paradise on earth does indeed exist.
It is a tiny piece of emerging land (of a little over 11 square miles) that is
surrounded by a lagoon three times larger, colored by supernatural shades running
from dark blue to intense turquoise to translucent green depending on the depth and
nature of the ocean floor. It is truly one of the most beautiful lagoons in the world.
Bora Bora also conjures up the magnificent and imposing image of Mt Otemanu and Mt Pahia,
those two rocky peaks that overlook the island. Their summits don't even reach 2,500 ft
(Mt Otemanu reaches 2,385 ft and Mt Pahia, 2,169 ft), but the island is so small that
they appear to be huge. It was Bora Bora that gained the first Polynesian landing strip.
It was built by the US Army in 1942 to set up a base for the provision of fresh supplies
to the South Pacific after the Pearl Harbor attack. Once the hostilities ended, the runway
allowed the first tourists to discover this magical place that is straight out of a fairy
tale or a book of legends. Today, the visitor only has to let himself be lulled by the
tranquility and beauty of the place. The more courageous may go off to explore the area
around the imposing volcano, and the more adventurous may follow a guide and leap into
the water to go meet sharks and manta rays, both absolutely unforgettable experiences.
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An Invitation to Travel... |
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If you are searching for a dream destination for your next vacation or for your honeymoon,
French Polynesia awaits you. We have retained a wonderful memory of each one of the little
Society Islands that we visited on this first trip. On Huahine, the southernmost and the
wildest of them, we discovered, thanks to our American guide Paul Attalah - email : islandecotours@mail.pf -
the secrets of
past Polynesian traditions and cults. Our jaunt on the island of Bora Bora allowed us to
jump into the most beautiful lagoon in the world. Finally, our last stop was Tahaa and its
dream setting: a garden of coral, where all we did was let ourselves be carried by the
currents and enjoy the spectacle of multicolored coral reefs and exotic fish that squeezed
their way by us without being the least bit disturbed by our presence. It is impossible to
forget our beautiful villa on stilts at Bora Bora Nui (www.luxurycollection.com/borabora)
and the gourmet delicacies prepared by a great French chef, Stéphane Legrand. We must also
recommend the dream hotel of our last stop, the Taha'a Private Island & Spa (www.relaischateaux.com/tahaa).
It seemed that we met the nicest people in the world there. They greeted us with soft voices, and
smiled as they anticipated our every desire. The hotel was nested in the refined and welcoming
setting of a magnificent tropical garden with 15,000 varieties of plant species, with Mt Otemanu
and Mt Pahia as a backdrop. Exoticism, charm, contrast, sensuality, authenticity, serenity...
If paradise does exist on earth, you will discover it in French Polynesia!
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