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Is wrestling a traditional Polynesian sport? Is it historic truth that Polynesian tribes left their leaders fighting to end a war?

The tension for the upcoming sport event at Tuaro Maohi is visible among spectators, too

Pride of winners and disappointment of losers is clear today. On a round sandy arena, bordered by palm leaves, wrestlers give their best at sunset. Two rules only: opponents’ back on ground: 1 point. Opponent pushed out of the ring:  1 point

Fighters crash from time to time on spectators while pulling up clouds of sand with their sweat bodies.

The tiny pieces of clothes do not help keeping family jewelry hidden: “Mon bijou!” wrestlers whisper from time to time while pulling up their pants…

Women fights are not less muscular then men: my pride shaking hands to the Maori fighter (on the top of the Tahitian in this picture) after she got the final

A dance of bodies not less attractive than dancing Heiva nights

Each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday the following episodes will be published and links will be active after 11AM CEST of the scheduled date:

– September 2023-
French Polynesia: My displacement in time – from 6.9.23
1. Dots in the ocean – from 8.9.23
2. With wet ankles in Big Moana – from 10.9.23
3. Would you mind bringing the fruit? Be quick! – from 13.9.23
4. Coconut split – from 15.9.23
5. Moana’s ritual – from 17.9.23
6. On the road to the Rock of Displacement – from 20.9.23
7. A dangerous hug – from 22.9.23
8. It’s war! – from 24.9.23
9. Heiva nights: dancing the myth– from 27.9.23
10. Catch the fight – from 29.9.23

– October 2023-
11. Another portion of fruit, quick! – from 1.10.23
12. Lift it if you can – from 4.10.23
13. Keep Moorea always in your mind – from 6.10.23
14. Allons enfants de la Patrie a Tahiti! – from 8.10.23
15. Return to the Spear Age – from 11.10.23
16. What’s on in Papeete – from 13.10.23
17. Teahupo‘o, surf for the gold medal – from 15.10.23
18. Papeete open air – from 18.10.23
19. Heiva nights: back to the origins – from 20.10.23
20. Va’a: the displacement in time – from 22.10.23
21. Va’a: the competition – from 25.10.23
22. Heiva nights: across time  – from 27.10.23
23. Heiva champions – from 29.10.23

– November 2023 –
24. Don’t wake up Te Fiti – from 1.11.23
25. Sharks ahead! – from 3.11.23
26. Na na Huahine – from 5.11.23

Heiva dances color Tahiti winter for three consecutive nights. Narration of myths and considerations on past and present Polynesian society are on stage.  Stories and lyrics are in Tahitian, introductions to some shows are in French. Both languages difficult to my understanding. Thanks so much to Manuela Macori, met at Heiva in Papeete and her collaborators at Rivista Etnie (www.rivistaetnie.com) for the translations to Italian.

Heiva nights tell and dance of love, ancient traditions, cosmology, wars, elderly and beautiful women. In the first evening we hear about the love story of Teaturi and her partner, separated by fate and war, and the tragic death of pregnant Teaturi and the loss of their twins.

Historical facts narrated at Heiva include the invasion of the archipelagos by white skin people with single keel ships. White men brought weapons and changes in Polynesian society not always welcomed. Fortune-tellers predicted the arrival of white men on new boats and the problem that would have caused.

Often myths have historical base and tell of weddings between tribal chefs with beautiful women. Beauty was, and still is a strong virtue in Polynesia. So much important that some islands, famous for the beauty of its citizens, in the past sent boats to neighbor islands with a selection of the most beautiful boys and girls.

This was a kind of beauty propaganda across the ocean. Tribal chefs might have even changed their first name after wedding thus, to symbolically merge with the  famous beauty of their brides.

Not only unhappy ends in Polynesian myths. The problematic relationship of Tirioto and Viritua, separated by different social levels, happily ends thanks to the smart lizard Vaipöiri, who convinces the king on the true feelings of her daughter.

Other times myths describe facts. For long time Tahitians believed to be alone in the middle of the Ocean. The ancient, common migration times were somehow forgotten. Contacts with neighbors re-started only later in time.

Heiva can be seen as a celebration of collective memories, a way to strengthen the identity of the population and avoid loosing it in our modern, frantic times.

Each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday the following episodes will be published and links will be active after 11AM CEST of the scheduled date:

– September 2023-
French Polynesia: My displacement in time – from 6.9.23
1. Dots in the ocean – from 8.9.23
2. With wet ankles in Big Moana – from 10.9.23
3. Would you mind bringing the fruit? Be quick! – from 13.9.23
4. Coconut split – from 15.9.23
5. Moana’s ritual – from 17.9.23
6. On the road to the Rock of Displacement – from 20.9.23
7. A dangerous hug – from 22.9.23
8. It’s war! – from 24.9.23
9. Heiva nights: dancing the myth- from 27.9.23
10. Catch the fight – from 29.9.23

– October 2023-
11. Another portion of fruit, quick! – from 1.10.23
12. Lift it if you can – from 4.10.23
13. Keep Moorea always in your mind – from 6.10.23
14. Allons enfants de la Patrie a Tahiti! – from 8.10.23
15. Return to the Spear Age – from 11.10.23
16. What’s on in Papeete – from 13.10.23
17. Teahupo‘o, surf for the gold medal – from 15.10.23
18. Papeete open air – from 18.10.23
19. Heiva nights: back to the origins – from 20.10.23
20. Va’a: the displacement in time – from 22.10.23
21. Va’a: the competition – from 25.10.23
22. Heiva nights: across time  – from 27.10.23
23. Heiva champions – from 29.10.23

– November 2023 –
24. Don’t wake up Te Fiti – from 1.11.23
25. Sharks ahead! – from 3.11.23
26. Na na Huahine – from 5.11.23

Traditional dances are performed between sport event, Maori war dances are among the most impressive.

Out of the blue, Maori men and women shout, push their eyes out of their heads and perform scary movements. Maori from New Zealand are the Western participants at Tuaro Maohi sports. But not only war is shown during dance intervals.

Feathered girls hypnotize with their movements after Polynesian drums,

kids and men participate to the ensemble with traditional clothes.

Tribal, black tattoos cover large parts of their bodies and shamans close the dances,

showing their mana (vital energy) and generously sharing their tradition with tourists

Each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday the following episodes will be published and links will be active after 11AM CEST of the scheduled date:

– September 2023-
French Polynesia: My displacement in time – from 6.9.23
1. Dots in the ocean – from 8.9.23
2. With wet ankles in Big Moana – from 10.9.23
3. Would you mind bringing the fruit? Be quick! – from 13.9.23
4. Coconut split – from 15.9.23
5. Moana’s ritual – from 17.9.23
6. On the road to the Rock of Displacement – from 20.9.23
7. A dangerous hug – from 22.9.23
8. It’s war! – from 24.9.23
9. Heiva nights: dancing the myth- from 27.9.23
10. Catch the fight – from 29.9.23

– October 2023-
11. Another portion of fruit, quick! – from 1.10.23
12. Lift it if you can – from 4.10.23
13. Keep Moorea always in your mind – from 6.10.23
14. Allons enfants de la Patrie a Tahiti! – from 8.10.23
15. Return to the Spear Age – from 11.10.23
16. What’s on in Papeete – from 13.10.23
17. Teahupo‘o, surf for the gold medal – from 15.10.23
18. Papeete open air – from 18.10.23
19. Heiva nights: back to the origins – from 20.10.23
20. Va’a: the displacement in time – from 22.10.23
21. Va’a: the competition – from 25.10.23
22. Heiva nights: across time  – from 27.10.23
23. Heiva champions – from 29.10.23

– November 2023 –
24. Don’t wake up Te Fiti – from 1.11.23
25. Sharks ahead! – from 3.11.23
26. Na na Huahine – from 5.11.23

Back to Papeeete, Tuaro Maohi games entered new phases of competition

Who will be the fastest palm tree climber, today?

All but one palm at the climbing arena have a metal stem ring to stop not professional climbers.

A coconut palm can be as much high as 12-18 meters, a 4 to 6 floor building: falling is not under consideration. Expert climbers can cover such distances in few seconds

  Their feet bound with ropes to increase friction on the trunk, their arms dragging them up

It is not rare to see exhibition of power up there. Some climbers just hang on the trunk with their arms, and finally they all climb to celebrate the end of the event

Each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday the following episodes will be published and links will be active after 11AM CEST of the scheduled date:

– September 2023-
French Polynesia: My displacement in time – from 6.9.23
1. Dots in the ocean – from 8.9.23
2. With wet ankles in Big Moana – from 10.9.23
3. Would you mind bringing the fruit? Be quick! – from 13.9.23
4. Coconut split – from 15.9.23
5. Moana’s ritual – from 17.9.23
6. On the road to the Rock of Displacement – from 20.9.23
7. A dangerous hug – from 22.9.23
8. It’s war! – from 24.9.23
9. Heiva nights: dancing the myth- from 27.9.23
10. Catch the fight – from 29.9.23

– October 2023-
11. Another portion of fruit, quick! – from 1.10.23
12. Lift it if you can – from 4.10.23
13. Keep Moorea always in your mind – from 6.10.23
14. Allons enfants de la Patrie a Tahiti! – from 8.10.23
15. Return to the Spear Age – from 11.10.23
16. What’s on in Papeete – from 13.10.23
17. Teahupo‘o, surf for the gold medal – from 15.10.23
18. Papeete open air – from 18.10.23
19. Heiva nights: back to the origins – from 20.10.23
20. Va’a: the displacement in time – from 22.10.23
21. Va’a: the competition – from 25.10.23
22. Heiva nights: across time  – from 27.10.23
23. Heiva champions – from 29.10.23

– November 2023 –
24. Don’t wake up Te Fiti – from 1.11.23
25. Sharks ahead! – from 3.11.23
26. Na na Huahine – from 5.11.23

A long off-road path brought us to the center of  Tahiti’s caldera, to the Rock of Displacement.

      The path was cut 12 times by the river, no road bridges.

At the Marae of the Lower Valley we joined the student group from Hawaii on the holy rocks of the temple. During the ritual they performed, we were enlightened with Polynesian cosmology and mythology. The caldera walls were in front of us.

At the ritual end, we left the lower valley behind.

A long road was still in front of us.

We finally reached the village in the inner caldera at sunset.

Just in time to get a roof on our head, before the starry night made us blind

Each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday the following episodes will be published and links will be active after 11AM CEST of the scheduled date:

– September 2023-
French Polynesia: My displacement in time – from 6.9.23
1. Dots in the ocean – from 8.9.23
2. With wet ankles in Big Moana – from 10.9.23
3. Would you mind bringing the fruit? Be quick! – from 13.9.23
4. Coconut split – from 15.9.23
5. Moana’s ritual – from 17.9.23
6. On the road to the Rock of Displacement – from 20.9.23
7. A dangerous hug – from 22.9.23
8. It’s war! – from 24.9.23
9. Heiva nights: dancing the myth- from 27.9.23
10. Catch the fight – from 29.9.23

– October 2023-
11. Another portion of fruit, quick! – from 1.10.23
12. Lift it if you can – from 4.10.23
13. Keep Moorea always in your mind – from 6.10.23
14. Allons enfants de la Patrie a Tahiti! – from 8.10.23
15. Return to the Spear Age – from 11.10.23
16. What’s on in Papeete – from 13.10.23
17. Teahupo‘o, surf for the gold medal – from 15.10.23
18. Papeete open air – from 18.10.23
19. Heiva nights: back to the origins – from 20.10.23
20. Va’a: the displacement in time – from 22.10.23
21. Va’a: the competition – from 25.10.23
22. Heiva nights: across time  – from 27.10.23
23. Heiva champions – from 29.10.23

– November 2023 –
24. Don’t wake up Te Fiti – from 1.11.23
25. Sharks ahead! – from 3.11.23
26. Na na Huahine – from 5.11.23