This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our cruise in November-December 2023. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).
Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.
Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.
The Viking Daily newsletter showed today's weather forecast as "Partly Cloudy 77° F" and "Sunrise: 5:59 AM."
Don woke at 6:00 am (MT was already up).
Sunday, December 3, 2023, 6:01 AM - Taiohae: first sight of land.
Taiohae is an associated
commune of the French commune of Nuku-Hiva in the Marquesas Islands
subdivision of French Polynesia. It comprises a fraction of the island of Nuku-Hiva,
together with three smaller islands and two uninhabited motus.
%20JPG.jpeg)
Map of Marquesas Islands (De
Demis - Trabajo propio, based on PD map from Demis, Dominio público, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6591923).
The Marquesas were inhabited by Polynesians from 150 BC to 100 AD. Each valley was the territory of one or even two tribes (upstream and downstream) and conflicts could arise between them. Each tribe had its own hereditary royal lineage (not necessarily patrilineal).
The first European to visit these islands was the Spaniard Álvaro de Mendaña, who arrived there in 1595 on his voyage from Peru to the Solomon Islands. Almost two centuries passed without further foreign visits until British Captain James Cook arrived in 1774. In 1791, the American explorer Joseph Ingraham invaded the islands of the northern group which he called the Washington Islands, differentiating them from the Mendaña Islands. The Washington Islands consisted of Washington (Ua Huka), Federal (Nuku Hiva), and Adams (Ua Pou). Two months later, the Frenchman Etienne Marchand took possession of the archipelago in the name of France and called them the Revolution Islands, since this was during the French Revolution. He renamed the individual islands after his officers: Marchand (Ua Pou), Baux (Nuku Hiva), Deux Fréres (Motu Iti), Masse (Eiao), and Chanal (Hatutu).
In 1813, during the Anglo-American War, the American David Porter established a naval base on Madison Island (Nuku Hiva), named after the American president at that time. But after the war, the US did not ratify the takeover. In 1842, the Frenchman Du Petit-Thouars took possession of the archipelago. However, the Taiohae settlement, which was isolated, was abandoned in 1854 and moved to New Caledonia.
The French used the islands as a penal colony for several years and in 1958 incorporated them into the territory of French Polynesia.
As in the rest of France, the only official language is French, although Marquesan is officially recognized as a regional language of France.
The majority of the population of the Marquesas Islands is Christian as the result of the missionary activity of the Catholic Church and various Protestant groups.
The Viking Daily newsletter described “Marquesas Islands (Taiohae), French Polynesia” as follows:
“Scents of jasmine, ginger and vanilla waft through the tropical air of Nuku Hiva, the lush and mountainous largest island of the Marquesas. This is the South Pacific tropics at their most pristine. These secluded islands have inspired artists and writers; Paul Gauguin famously captured the beauty of their wilderness and their people on canvas and Jack London called them ‘exquisite.’ Among their unspoiled majesty, stone-carved tikis depicting Polynesian gods dot the landscape and lush groves offer up a bounty of fruit, from mangoes to oranges and from guavas to copra.”
Room Service Breakfast, ordered for 6:45-7:00, came early at 6:35.
MT 6:53 AM - Taiohae: small island (motu) near mouth of Taiohae Bay (telephoto 69 mm).
6:56 AM - Taiohae: coast with small island (motu) in foreground.
7:02 AM - Taiohae: coast with small island (motu) in left foreground.
7:02 AM - Taiohae: view ahead toward harbor, with bridge of Viking Star at right.
7:14 AM - Taiohae: view of harbor, for small boats only.
The Viking Star was anchored offshore by 7:15, although the arrival time was listed in the Viking Daily newsletter as "8:00 AM." It said that today's shore excursions until 10:30 am would meet on board in the Star Theater (Deck 2). For this day's operations, the ship would be using its own tender boat to ferry all guests ashore. The meeting times for the tender would be from 8:00 at 30-minute intervals until 10:15. We could board the tender at any of those times. The included shore excursions, called Taiohae Independent Exploration, would be self-guided on foot, using a map that had been delivered to our staterooms.
7:29 AM - Taiohae: view of harbor, with the ship's tender heading toward shore and small boats to left.
The My Viking Journey web site had described the shore excursion Taiohae Independent Exploration as follows:
INCLUDED
Day 24 – Marquesas Islands (Taiohae), French Polynesia
Sunday, December 3
8:30 AM / 9:15 AM / 10:00 AM / 10:45 AM / 11:30 AM / 12:15 PM / 1:00 PM
4 Hours
MODERATE
SIGHTSEEING
INCLUDED
Day 24 – Marquesas Islands (Taiohae), French Polynesia
Sunday, December 3
8:30 AM / 9:15 AM / 10:00 AM / 10:45 AM / 11:30 AM / 12:15 PM / 1:00 PM
4 Hours
MODERATE
SIGHTSEEING
Nuku Hiva’s Tiny Capital On Your Own
Set your personalized course for discovery when you step out to explore Nuku Hiva’s port of Taiohae on your own.
Known as “Mystic Island,” Nuku Hiva is famous for its eight picturesque harbors, spire-like peaks that pierce the sky, jungle-strewn valleys, deep-cut bays, remote sand beaches and towering waterfalls. Its lush terrain embodies the South Pacific tropics at their most pristine and you just might catch the wafting scent of jasmine, plumeria or ginger in the air. When American writer Jack London sailed into Taiohae Bay, spread at the foot of a soaring cliff, he called the entire scene “exquisite.” You will tender ashore and perhaps visit the Notre Dame Cathedral, built in the 1970s from wood and stone gathered from each of the six inhabited Marquesas Islands. You will have time to browse the shops for copra (pressed and dried coconut), carved tikis and other handicrafts.
Map for Taiohae self-guided tour provided by Viking.
Note at the bottom of the map says: "The distance from stop 1 to stop 4 is 2 Km/1.2 Miles."
Stop 1 - Art & Craft: Kaaku (cooked breadfruit demo); Wood carving demo.
Stop 2: Temehea Tohua - Kumuhei workshop; Seeds & leis making demo; Palm weaving demo.
Stop 3: Piki Vehine Archaeological Site - Hakamanu Dance performance follow[ed] by fruits and lemonade tasting.
Stop 4: Rose Corser Museum - Exhibition of diverse and authentic objects telling the story of the Marquesas Islands and their inhabitants: herminettes, pestels, hooks, mace, jewelry, etc.
The aerial photo that serves as the basis for the map shows the harbor dotted with small boats; the shape of the harbor reflects its origin as a volcanic crater.
7:30 AM - Taiohae: view of harbor (panorama).
MT 8:18 AM - Taiohae: Tiki Tuhiva.
Tiki Tuhiva, located on
Tuhiva Hill overlooking Taioha’e Bay, was inaugurated in 2017. It is a
representation of Woman, the guardian of Tradition and Knowledge, while a man
represents the warrior imposing his power. This tiki was designed by the mayor
of Nuku Hiva. It is known to be the highest contemporary sculpture in the
Pacific. It has an iron structure that is completely covered with shotcrete [concrete projected at high velocity onto a surface, forming a dense, durable layer] coated with “keetu,” a reddish volcanic tuff used by Marquesan stone carvers.
The woman tiki is 12 m high, and the male warrior is 8 m tall. The warrior
Tuhiva steps forward to master his future with the ancestral strength inherited
from “Woman Tiki.”
Tiki Tuhiva, located on
Tuhiva Hill overlooking Taioha’e Bay, was inaugurated in 2017. It is a
representation of Woman, the guardian of Tradition and Knowledge, while a man
represents the warrior imposing his power. This tiki was designed by the mayor
of Nuku Hiva. It is known to be the highest contemporary sculpture in the
Pacific. It has an iron structure that is completely covered with shotcrete [concrete projected at high velocity onto a surface, forming a dense, durable layer] coated with “keetu,” a reddish volcanic tuff used by Marquesan stone carvers.
The woman tiki is 12 m high, and the male warrior is 8 m tall. The warrior
Tuhiva steps forward to master his future with the ancestral strength inherited
from “Woman Tiki.”
9:15 AM - Taiohae: natives greeting us near the tender dock, with dancers in triangular area and musicians under tree at far end.
9:15 AM - Taiohae: more natives greeting us near the tender dock.
MT 9:17 AM - Taiohae: natives greeting us near the tender dock, with man blowing on conch shell.
MT 9:21 AM - Taiohae: Don with tiki near the tender dock.
2714 MT 9:23 AM - Taiohae: Don and MT with that tiki near the tender dock.
9:19 AM - Taiohae: side view of same tiki.
MT 9:25 AM - Taiohae: wood carvings on display; one in foreground has a price of 50,000 F[rench Polynesian Francs (about 110 USD)].
9:24 AM - Taiohae: Stop 1 - wood-carving demonstration (mild telephoto 68 mm).
MT 9:26 AM - Taiohae: Stop 1 - wood-carving demonstration; when Don told him he was also a woodcarver and used similar tools with a similar canvas case, the carver showed them off.
9:25 AM - Taiohae: Stop 1 - Ka'aku (cooked breadfruit) demonstration, with axe for opening coconuts; we were offered coconut out of a bowl.
Ka’aku is a Marquesan
dish made from ‘uru (the fruit of the breadfruit tree), Artocarpus
altilis. It is made by cooking the breadfruit on a wood fire until the skin is
blackened, then peeling the skin and removing the stone. The warm breadfruit is
pounded in a wooden bowl with a pestle and a little water until it is a homogenous
paste. It is traditionally served with fresh coconut milk.
MT 9:27 AM - Taiohae: Stop 1 - woman offering coconut out of a bowl.
9:27 AM - Taiohae: Stop 1 or 2 - stone sculpture (of a fish?).
9:27 AM - Taiohae: Stop 2 - Temehea Tohua; complicated stone sculpture with a mixture of animal and humanoid images.
Temehea Tohua is the ancestral
home of Queen Vaekehu, who was considered to be the last queen or chieftainess
of the Taiohae. She married another chief, thus reuniting the two halves of the
once divided tribe. The site now contains a number of carved stones brought
from around the Pacific for the First Marquesan International Art Festival. A Tohua
was a large rectangular plaza with flat areas surrounded by platforms and was
used for both ceremonial and meeting purposes.
Nuku-Hiva is known for the stone monuments scattered throughout its landscape. The majority of these stone monuments were found in Temehea Tohua, a small settlement within Nuku-Hiva. Archaeologists determined that they dated back to sometime between the 11th and 14th centuries and are likely depictions of ancient Nuku-Hivan deities. The stone statues tell archaeologists about the deities the locals used to worship—and still do in some cases.
The “reptilian” statues depict creatures distinguished by disproportionate torsos, as well as oblong heads with wide mouths and huge eyes. The facial expressions of many of them are rather unfriendly.
Nuku-Hiva is known for the stone monuments scattered throughout its landscape. The majority of these stone monuments were found in Temehea Tohua, a small settlement within Nuku-Hiva. Archaeologists determined that they dated back to sometime between the 11th and 14th centuries and are likely depictions of ancient Nuku-Hivan deities. The stone statues tell archaeologists about the deities the locals used to worship—and still do in some cases.
The “reptilian” statues depict creatures distinguished by disproportionate torsos, as well as oblong heads with wide mouths and huge eyes. The facial expressions of many of them are rather unfriendly.
The Piki Vehine Archaeological Site, also known as “pae pae temehea,” is in the center of the town of Taiohea, near the sea, on the eastern side of the island of Nuku-Hiva. This pae pae (traditional meeting platform), in addition to authentic historical giant tikis, contains modern sculptures and a dozen magnificent tikis made by the island’s sculptors and artisans from Easter Island that were made for the 1989 Marquesas Islands Festival.
9:28 AM - Taiohae: Stop 2 - Temehea Tohua; other side of same complicated stone sculpture.
9:29 AM - Taiohae: Stop 2 - Temehea Tohua; view back toward woodcarving demonstration (under umbrellas at left) near tender dock.
MT 9:32 AM - Taiohae: Stop 2 - Temehea Tohua; view back toward tender dock and Viking Star anchored offshore near one of the two small islands (motus) that flank the entrance of the harbor.
MT 9:35 AM - Taiohae: Stop 2 - Temehea Tohua; view back toward Viking Star anchored offshore near one of the two small islands (motus) that flank the entrance of the harbor (telephoto 78 mm).
MT 9:40 AM - Taiohae: Stop 2 - Temehea Tohua; palm weaving demonstration and guitar player.
9:40 AM - Taiohae: Stop 2 - Temehea Tohua; lady making beaded necklaces (part of seeds & leis making demonstration).
9:45 AM - Taiohae: shore with black rocks along road past Stop 2.
MT 9:49 AM - Taiohae: white rock with native design along road past Stop 2 (mild telephoto 42 mm).
MT 9:49 AM - Taiohae: another white rock with native design along road past Stop 2 (mild telephoto 42 mm).
Then we turned uphill off the road by Stop 2 to see the Cathedral of Notre Dame.
9:52 AM - Taiohae: approaching Cathedral of Notre Dame, uphill from Stop 2.
Notre Dame Cathedral (French:
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Taiohae or Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Marquises) is a
20th-century church that serves as cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Taiohae (or Te Fenuaenata in the Marquesan language). It is located near the
center of Taiohae. Construction of the cathedral began in 1973 on the site of
an earlier 19th-century church of the same name, on land that was treated as
sacred ground by the ancient Marquesans. The new cathedral opened in 1977.
The entrance of the church is flanked by statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul carved from rosewood.
The exterior walls of the church are made of wood and stone, with elaborately carved doors at the entrance. The different-shaped and -colored stones were given by each of the 6 inhabited islands of the Marquesas.
The interior of the church is noted for its mixture of European and local Marquesan features. An artwork entitled “The Passion,” the pulpit, and the Stations of the Cross were all carved from whole tamanu trees, The pulpit has symbols of the Four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) carved into it, with the floor behind it laid with Ua Pou flower stones. (Ua Pou is the third-largest of the Marquesas Islands, northwest of Nuku-Hiva.)
The entrance of the church is flanked by statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul carved from rosewood.
The exterior walls of the church are made of wood and stone, with elaborately carved doors at the entrance. The different-shaped and -colored stones were given by each of the 6 inhabited islands of the Marquesas.
The interior of the church is noted for its mixture of European and local Marquesan features. An artwork entitled “The Passion,” the pulpit, and the Stations of the Cross were all carved from whole tamanu trees, The pulpit has symbols of the Four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) carved into it, with the floor behind it laid with Ua Pou flower stones. (Ua Pou is the third-largest of the Marquesas Islands, northwest of Nuku-Hiva.)
9:54 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - MT by inside of the archway at entrance to the cathedral complex.
MT 9:57 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - Don and MT by inside of the archway at entrance to the cathedral complex.
MT 9:59 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - main door of cathedral, with carvings of St. Paul to left and St. Peter to right and Pieta on right door.
9:58 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - cornerstone of new church, with "Nuku Hiva 1975" (the date it was opened).
MT 10:02 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - carvings of Pieta on right door and St. Peter (holding a key) to right of that door.
10:16 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - carving of Pieta on right door (mild telephoto 41 mm).
2739 MT 10:03 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - carving of St. Paul to left of main door, with priest in casual attire entering the door.
9:59 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - interior of church (closed for renovation) with priest (Fr. Joseph) in aisle.
MT 10:05 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame -
Fr. Joseph back outside the entrance.
Fr. Joseph came out to greet us and told us to look for Moses on the building across from the cathedral façade.
10:01 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - carving of
Moses (with tablet) on front of building across from the church.
10:02 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - two more carved figures at front of that building; on the wall behind them is a carving of the Holy Family.
10:02 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - carving of the Holy Family inside that building.
10:03 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - carvings of Moses and Abraham, on front of that building, with carving of John the Baptist on wall behind them.
MT 10:07 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - carving of Moses, with tablet, on front of that building, with carving of John the Baptist on wall behind him.
MT 10:26 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - carving of John the Baptist on back wall of that building (telephoto 89 mm).
10:07 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - path toward grove for tomb of archbishop in Cathedral complex.
10:07 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - grove for tomb of Archbishop Hervé Marie Le Cléac'h.
10:08 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - statue of Archbishop Hervé Marie Le Cléac'h.
10:08 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - tiki at right side of shelter over statue of archbishop.
10:08 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - tiki at right side of shelter over statue of archbishop.
10:09 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - grave of Archbishop Hervé Marie Le Cléac'h.
10:09 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - tombstone of Archbishop Hervé Marie Le Cléac'h, who became bishop of Taiohae in 1973 and died in 2012.
10:10 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - flowering bush and view back toward belltowers and archway.
MT 10:13 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - MT and Don by another flowering bush.
10:13 AM - Taiohae: Cathedral of Notre Dame - we almost missed this Madonna carved in stone (telephoto 79 mm).
Then we left the Cathedral and rejoined the self-guided tour at Stop 2.
10:23 AM - Taiohae: Near Stop 2 - view back to Viking Star, across the bay, with black stones and sand on inlet of shore.
Then we went on toward Stop 3, Piki Vehine Archaeological Site.
10:25 AM - Taiohae: Near Stop 3, Piki Vehine Archaeological Site - dancer and children in costumes, just after a dance performance had ended.
MT 10:26 AM - Taiohae: Near Stop 3, Piki Vehine Archaeological Site - dancer and children in costumes, just after a dance performance had ended.
10:27 AM - Taiohae: Piki Vehine Archaeological Site - sculpture of multiple tiki-like faces in a house.
10:28 AM - Taiohae: Piki Vehine Archaeological Site - seated tiki by the bay (telephoto 93 mm).
MT 10:31AM - Taiohae: Piki Vehine Archaeological Site - MT and Don with seated tiki by the bay.
10:32 AM - Taiohae: Piki Vehine Archaeological Site - Hakamanu dance performance (telephoto 68 mm).
Hakamanu
The legend of the hakamanu (bird dance) tells the story of the sister of a chief who refuses to die. A fisherman collects a human form on the beach; a son is born, grows up and is captured To save him, the mother revels her secret: Te Hakamanu, the bird dance.
Intrigued by this summary of the story, I thought the story was worth providing in its entirety:
In the Hatiheu Valley in Nuku-Hiva, Tahiatemata, the sister of the great chief of the Taipi, in case readers are interested tribe, has just died. The entire tribe has gathered to solemnly celebrate the funeral. Everyone knows that the spirit of a deceased person has three days to definitely leave their body. This period is used to recall all the pleasures of life. Thus, on the last day, the beautiful young woman chooses to perform the hakamanu, the bird dance. The melody of the women’s choir accompanies her movements. The people of the valley are petrified: the grace and majesty of Tahiatemata have never been equaled by any other dancer of the tribe.
Only when the last note of the hakamanu dies out, the spirit of the beauty flies way on a ray of sunshine, leaving to the audience only her body, which must now be dried and coated with pani (monoi) and other fragrant oils. Like all the inhabitants of the Land of Men, that of the dancer leaves for Cape Kiukiu, at the west of the island of Hiva-Oa.
At that same moment, in Puama-u Bay in Hiva-Oa, a young fisherman sitting on a rock on the shore casts his line and brings it back. The waves break on the pebbles, and when they head out to sea, an image becomes clearer and clearer in the sand at the fisherman’s feet: it is a human shape! Then, like a bird gathering it wings to take flight, Hi’imoana the fisherman takes in his ams the image of sand deposited by the sea. She becomes whole: she is a wonderful woman! He carries her to his house, bathes her and brings her the rarest flowers. Already, he knows that he loves her. Soon thereafter, a son is born. They call him Poena’iki. Sometimes the mother tells the child the story of her family who reigns over the people of Taipi
When Poena’iki is 10 years old, curious to know the cradle of his ancestors, he decides to join a party of young warriors from Puaa’u for a manhunt expedition along the shores of the distant rival island [of Nuku-Hiva]. But alas, the navigators are inexperienced. They circle Nuku-Hiva, land at the wrong place, are caught and eaten by the men of Hatihe’u. Only the young boy is spared, but he is thrown into a pit of ma (fermented breadfruit preserved in a hole). A tiny hole, just large enough for a mouth and nose, is left between the stones. The poor child whines incessantly, crying out his name and that of his mother in despair.
One day, a great toa (warrior) heard the prisoner’s lamentations and thought he recognized the name of his chief’s sister, who had been dead for a long time. He ran to the chief and asked: “Did you authorize someone to bear the name of your deceased sister?” The chief said: “Of course not. Why?” He said: “I heard the young captive say it. He claims it is his mother.” The chief said: “That is impossible! Let someone go and get him!” The toa carried out the order and brought Poena’iki, saying, “If you are the son of this woman, you must recognize her body.” Two sturdy men brought a canoe in which the dried-up corpse lay and presented it to the child. Ther latter, distraught, recognized his mother in the coffin canoe. Then the chief said, “If this woman, who to my knowledge has never given birth, is your mother, she must have taught you a particular rite that only she is able to perform.” Poena’iki does not know; his mother has revealed nothing of the sort to him. He is put back in the pit.
Meanwhile, in Hiva-Oa, the parents are worried about the fate of their son, and the father decides to go look for him. Then, Tahiatemata, feeling the time has come to reveal her true nature, says: “I am a wandering soul, I did not agree at the time to join the other deceased in the land of the dead. I loved life too much! That is why you found me on the beach. Before you go and look for our son, I will teach you the hakamanu. I alone know the gestures and the grace that is capable of plunging men and women into the greatest wonder.” That is what she does. And Hi’imoana, more in love than ever, leaves the island of Nuku-Hiva without knowing that he will never see Tahiatemata alive again.
The sail and the canoe join their efforts for a long time to lead the fisherman to the bay of Hatihe’u. Brandishing an ‘auti leaf as a sign of peace, he arrives before the chief. The chief presents him with the dried body in the coffin canoe and says to him: “You claim that my dead sister is your wife. You claim to be the father of the prisoner. Prove it!”
Hi’imoana, overcome with emotion but strong in his secret, asks that his son be released and that the women who sing the hakamanu be summoned. At the great square of Hatihe’u, the voices begin the melody, and the father performs, with accuracy taught by his wife, the marvelous dance of the bird in front of the astonished audience. The chief only manages to say: ”Let them bring food to my nephew and my brother-in-law!”
Night had now fallen on Taiohe Bay, the dance leader rose from the paepae Pikivehine (dry stone terrace on which the house was built) to join the drummers and dancers who were calling him. He was going to revive the legendary dance.
From Nuku-Hiva to Nuku-Oa, from the canoe of young warriors to the coffin canoe, between the world of the living and the dead, the dance of the birds is a dance of love and life on the Land of Men.
(The source of this story was https://www.tahitiheritage.pf/legende-danse-oiseau-hakamanu/, translated into English with a few editorial changes.)
The legend of the hakamanu (bird dance) tells the story of the sister of a chief who refuses to die. A fisherman collects a human form on the beach; a son is born, grows up and is captured To save him, the mother revels her secret: Te Hakamanu, the bird dance.
Intrigued by this summary of the story, I thought the story was worth providing in its entirety:
In the Hatiheu Valley in Nuku-Hiva, Tahiatemata, the sister of the great chief of the Taipi, in case readers are interested tribe, has just died. The entire tribe has gathered to solemnly celebrate the funeral. Everyone knows that the spirit of a deceased person has three days to definitely leave their body. This period is used to recall all the pleasures of life. Thus, on the last day, the beautiful young woman chooses to perform the hakamanu, the bird dance. The melody of the women’s choir accompanies her movements. The people of the valley are petrified: the grace and majesty of Tahiatemata have never been equaled by any other dancer of the tribe.
Only when the last note of the hakamanu dies out, the spirit of the beauty flies way on a ray of sunshine, leaving to the audience only her body, which must now be dried and coated with pani (monoi) and other fragrant oils. Like all the inhabitants of the Land of Men, that of the dancer leaves for Cape Kiukiu, at the west of the island of Hiva-Oa.
At that same moment, in Puama-u Bay in Hiva-Oa, a young fisherman sitting on a rock on the shore casts his line and brings it back. The waves break on the pebbles, and when they head out to sea, an image becomes clearer and clearer in the sand at the fisherman’s feet: it is a human shape! Then, like a bird gathering it wings to take flight, Hi’imoana the fisherman takes in his ams the image of sand deposited by the sea. She becomes whole: she is a wonderful woman! He carries her to his house, bathes her and brings her the rarest flowers. Already, he knows that he loves her. Soon thereafter, a son is born. They call him Poena’iki. Sometimes the mother tells the child the story of her family who reigns over the people of Taipi
When Poena’iki is 10 years old, curious to know the cradle of his ancestors, he decides to join a party of young warriors from Puaa’u for a manhunt expedition along the shores of the distant rival island [of Nuku-Hiva]. But alas, the navigators are inexperienced. They circle Nuku-Hiva, land at the wrong place, are caught and eaten by the men of Hatihe’u. Only the young boy is spared, but he is thrown into a pit of ma (fermented breadfruit preserved in a hole). A tiny hole, just large enough for a mouth and nose, is left between the stones. The poor child whines incessantly, crying out his name and that of his mother in despair.
One day, a great toa (warrior) heard the prisoner’s lamentations and thought he recognized the name of his chief’s sister, who had been dead for a long time. He ran to the chief and asked: “Did you authorize someone to bear the name of your deceased sister?” The chief said: “Of course not. Why?” He said: “I heard the young captive say it. He claims it is his mother.” The chief said: “That is impossible! Let someone go and get him!” The toa carried out the order and brought Poena’iki, saying, “If you are the son of this woman, you must recognize her body.” Two sturdy men brought a canoe in which the dried-up corpse lay and presented it to the child. Ther latter, distraught, recognized his mother in the coffin canoe. Then the chief said, “If this woman, who to my knowledge has never given birth, is your mother, she must have taught you a particular rite that only she is able to perform.” Poena’iki does not know; his mother has revealed nothing of the sort to him. He is put back in the pit.
Meanwhile, in Hiva-Oa, the parents are worried about the fate of their son, and the father decides to go look for him. Then, Tahiatemata, feeling the time has come to reveal her true nature, says: “I am a wandering soul, I did not agree at the time to join the other deceased in the land of the dead. I loved life too much! That is why you found me on the beach. Before you go and look for our son, I will teach you the hakamanu. I alone know the gestures and the grace that is capable of plunging men and women into the greatest wonder.” That is what she does. And Hi’imoana, more in love than ever, leaves the island of Nuku-Hiva without knowing that he will never see Tahiatemata alive again.
The sail and the canoe join their efforts for a long time to lead the fisherman to the bay of Hatihe’u. Brandishing an ‘auti leaf as a sign of peace, he arrives before the chief. The chief presents him with the dried body in the coffin canoe and says to him: “You claim that my dead sister is your wife. You claim to be the father of the prisoner. Prove it!”
Hi’imoana, overcome with emotion but strong in his secret, asks that his son be released and that the women who sing the hakamanu be summoned. At the great square of Hatihe’u, the voices begin the melody, and the father performs, with accuracy taught by his wife, the marvelous dance of the bird in front of the astonished audience. The chief only manages to say: ”Let them bring food to my nephew and my brother-in-law!”
Night had now fallen on Taiohe Bay, the dance leader rose from the paepae Pikivehine (dry stone terrace on which the house was built) to join the drummers and dancers who were calling him. He was going to revive the legendary dance.
From Nuku-Hiva to Nuku-Oa, from the canoe of young warriors to the coffin canoe, between the world of the living and the dead, the dance of the birds is a dance of love and life on the Land of Men.
(The source of this story was https://www.tahitiheritage.pf/legende-danse-oiseau-hakamanu/, translated into English with a few editorial changes.)
MT 10:34 AM - Taiohae: Piki Vehine Archaeological Site - male tiki (telephoto 64 mm).
10:35 AM - Taiohae: Piki Vehine Archaeological Site - carved pole, and another that looked like a utility pole, lying on the ground.
MT 10:37 AM - Taiohae: Piki Vehine Archaeological Site - another carved pole, and another that looked like a utility pole, lying on the ground.
Then we headed up the road toward Stop 4.
10:42 AM - Taiohae: Between Stop 3 and Stop 4 - view back to Viking Star, across bay.
MT 10:47 AM - Taiohae: Between Stop 3 and Stop 4 - "College de Taiohae - Te Tau Vae Ia" (mild telephoto 38 mm).
10:56 AM - Taiohae: Between Stop 3 and Stop 4 - view back to Viking Star, across bay, with swimmer in water and black sand on shore.
Then we arrived at Stop 4, Rose Corser Museum.
11:01 AM - Taiohae: Near Stop 4 - small sign for "He'e Tai Inn - Musee [museum] - Boutique " partially hidden to right of larger sign for "He'e Tai Inn - Hotel - Restaurant - Ba[r]," where we turned off the road toward the museum.
Rose Corser’s He’e Tai Inn
Museum is next to her Tahitian Guesthouse and contains authentic objects of
Marquesan culture from the past and present. The art gallery displays sculptures in wood,
bone, and coconut shell, as well as Tapa cloth from the nearby island of Fatu
Hiva. Rose Corser worked with local artists to create replicas of the pieces on
display, which are for sale in the museum’s shop.
Rose Corser and her late husband Frank sailed their yacht to Nuku Hiva from California in 1972 to study Marquesan art and culture for a master’s degree she was working on. Rose and Frank went back to the US after their 1972 voyage, but they returned for good in 1979. Rose never finished her master’s degree, but she founded the Taetae Tupuna He’e Tai, also known as Rose Corser’s Boutique and Museum of Marquesan Art. Rose became one of the pioneers of tourism in Nuku Hiva. (She died at the age of 87 in 2024.)
More than any other South Pacific islanders, the ancient Marquesans were masters at carving tikis from stone and wooden war clubs and spears from local hardwoods, adorning the latter with the same intricate geometric designs used in their tattoos. They also used the same designs on the tapa cloth they made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree. Their carving skill was evident even in everyday items such as bowls, axes, pestles, and fishhooks.
The museum displays artifacts dating from the Polynesian settlement period around 150 AD to the 1800s. Many of the ancient pieces are on loan from Marquesan families that have owned them since the dawn of Polynesian times.
Rose Corser and her late husband Frank sailed their yacht to Nuku Hiva from California in 1972 to study Marquesan art and culture for a master’s degree she was working on. Rose and Frank went back to the US after their 1972 voyage, but they returned for good in 1979. Rose never finished her master’s degree, but she founded the Taetae Tupuna He’e Tai, also known as Rose Corser’s Boutique and Museum of Marquesan Art. Rose became one of the pioneers of tourism in Nuku Hiva. (She died at the age of 87 in 2024.)
More than any other South Pacific islanders, the ancient Marquesans were masters at carving tikis from stone and wooden war clubs and spears from local hardwoods, adorning the latter with the same intricate geometric designs used in their tattoos. They also used the same designs on the tapa cloth they made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree. Their carving skill was evident even in everyday items such as bowls, axes, pestles, and fishhooks.
The museum displays artifacts dating from the Polynesian settlement period around 150 AD to the 1800s. Many of the ancient pieces are on loan from Marquesan families that have owned them since the dawn of Polynesian times.
11:06 AM - Taiohae: Stop 4, Rose Corser Museum - carved wooden war clubs.
11:06 AM - Taiohae: Stop 4, Rose Corser Museum - model of an ancient double-hulled canoe and picture of a man with tattoos with designs similar to those on the sail.
11:06 AM - Taiohae: Stop 4, Rose Corser Museum - nearby signs in French and English; the English text reads:
"Such migrations as the Polynesians made to populate the Marquesas Islands in the vast Pacific required keen navigational skills as well as an organized society able to provide for such planned settlement voyages. In large double hulled canoes, the Polynesians brought with them plants, including breadfruit, coconuts, taro, yams and bamboo, and their animals, pigs, chickens, dogs, and even some stowaway rats and lizards!
"In the Marquesas, a brilliant culture was developed with enormous megalithic structures, exquisite sculpture in stone, bone and wood, as well as the most complex and striking tattoo tradition in all of Polynesia if not the world.
"The culture was forever changed and nearly destroyed by Western contact, yet physical remnants of the ancient Marquesan culture still abound on wind-swept beaches, deep in quiet forests, and along mist-shrouded ridges and plateaus throughout Te Henua Enana. The Marquesan spirit survives in the minds and hearts of Te Enena themselves, whose culture is today experiencing a vibrant artistic renaissance."
[Te Henua Enana (Northern Marquesan) and Te Fenua Enata (Southern Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men," are the Marquesan language names for the Marquesas Islands and the people who populated them.]
11:07 AM - Taiohae: Stop 4, Rose Corser Museum - sign in English and French; the English text reads:
"The last area of earth settled by humans was the vast triangle of Pacific islands known as Polynesia. Included among the voyagers in this dramatic and heroic story, which played across thousands of sea miles and thousands of years, are the ancestors of Te Enana, the Marquesan people. Questions of how, why, and from where these people came have intrigued Western visitors and scholars for over two hundred years.
"Recent studies in archaeology and linguistics show that the ancestors of the Polynesians began moving out from the mainland China coast around 4700 BC. By around 1500 BC they had become the highly skilled mariners and traders living in Eastern Melanesia whom we today call the Lapita people. Moving quickly eastward through the Pacific, by about 1200 BC they had reached Tonga and Samoa, where the first fully Polynesian cultures emerged. Probably no later than 200 BC, these Polynesians discovered the remote string of jagged volcanic Eastern Pacific islands they called Te Fenua Enana, the Land of Men, known today on maps as the Marquesas Islands. In this Eastern Polynesian region, which includes the Society and Austral Islands, Polynesian culture experienced a period of development and change. By about 500/800 AD or so, Marquesans had spread their culture to Hawai'i and by 500 AD to Easter Island and Mangareva. Others from the region settled the last Polynesian outpost, New Zealand, by about 800 AD.
"Despite some 40 years of archaeological work in the Marquesas, the tasks of preservation and restoration of the ancient Marquesan sites and artifacts is just beginning. The Museum Enana was created to aid in the preservation of the material culture and heritage of the Marquesan people."
As we retraced our steps from Stop 4 back toward the tender dock, we spotted a man swimming with a horse in the bay.
11:20 AM - Taiohae: man and horse in the bay.
11:22 AM - Taiohae: man and horse coming ashore (telephoto 130 mm).
11:23 AM - Taiohae: man and horse near street.
MT 11:24 AM - Taiohae: man and horse on street (telephoto 58 mm).
11:23 AM - Taiohae: view of beach back toward tender dock.
11:24 AM - Taiohae: view of black sand beach.
Before we had started this excursion, MT, thinking Don's hair was getting shaggy after almost a month, had tried to look up on her iPhone how to ask for a "barbershop for men" in Marquesan, but the closest she could found was how to say it in French (salon de coiffure pour hommes).
As we retraced our steps from Stop 4 back toward the tender dock, we stopped at a small shop called a "magasine" (French for "shop"). She tried her French question and the shopkeeper explained (in English) that this was Sunday and all the barbershops were closed. But she called several friends to see if they might give Don a haircut, and all declined. Since she had been so helpful, we bought ice cream bars for $3 each.
MT 11:38 AM - Taiohae: Don with his chocolate ice cream bar.
As we continued to retrace our steps back toward the tender dock, we passed an older man and his adult son on the other side of the fence along the road. The young man was burning something (branches?), and the older man was doing something with a fruit. The older man had come from another country many years ago and had decided to stay. We asked him what kind of fruit that was, and he cut open one small grapefruit and gave each of us two slices. This was the sweetest grapefruit we had ever tasted.
11:44 AM - Taiohae: man cutting grapefruit for us.
MT 11:45 AM - Taiohae: man continuing to cut grapefruit for us, with his son behind him.
MT 11:45 AM - Taiohae: man handing Don a slice of grapefruit, with his son behind him.
11:59 AM - Taiohae: complex stone sculpture with tikis and inscription "Temehea Taiohae," back near the one with multiple tikis in a house. [Another name for piki Vehine is pae pae Temehea or Temehea Tohua.]
12:02 PM - Taiohae: red light poles along road by bay.
MT 12:03 PM - Taiohae: red light pole along road by bay (mild telephoto 52 mm).
12:24 PM - Taiohae: tiki near tender dock.
12:24 PM - Taiohae: side view of that tiki with MT and another lady in background.
MT 12:24 PM - Taiohae: MT and Don on another side of that tiki with a red light pole on road in left background.
12:32 PM - Taiohae: black sand beach near tender dock.
MT 12:36 PM - Taiohae: drummer accompanying native performers who had welcomed us near the tender dock at the beginning of the excursion (telephoto 112 mm).
MT 12:37 PM - Taiohae: dancer/singer in native costume near tender dock (mild telephoto 44 mm).
MT 12:37 PM - Taiohae: man blowing on conch shell near tender dock (mild telephoto 44 mm).
2:18 PM - Taiohae: view, from Viking Star, of coast near tender dock (panorama).
The Viking Daily newsletter said that the last tender would return at 5:00pm, as the Viking Star prepared to set sail for San Diego, USA (2826 nautical miles).
At 6 pm, we went to The Restaurant (Deck 2) for our pre-ordered dinner. We had chosen the Starter "Niçoise Style Chef's Salad - romaine, cherry tomato, french beans, fingerling potato, Kalamata olives, Muskat grape seed vinaigrette." For the Main Course, we had chosen "Rigatoni all' Amatricciana - pasta with guanciale (pork), chile flakes & tomato sauce." For dessert, MT talked Don into asking for the Fruit Plate, as she had done, rather than his pre-ordered "Tourte des Iles Marquises - cinnamon scented banana cake with lime and rum."
6:25 PM - Viking Star: "Niçoise Style Chef's Salad - romaine, cherry tomato, french beans, fingerling potato, Kalamata olives, Muskat grape seed vinaigrette."
6:42 PM - Viking Star: "Rigatoni all' Amatricciana - pasta with guanciale (pork), chile flakes & tomato sauce."
Back in our stateroom, we found the menu for The Restaurant on 4 Dec and circled our order.
9:34 PM - Viking Star: From the front side of the menu we selected "Fresh Fruit Plate - melon, pineapple & berries" under Desserts.
9:34 PM - Viking Star: From the back side of the menu, we selected "Sweet Potato Soup - cumin & spices, roasted plantain" under Starters and "Risotto con Zucchine, Burrata e Tartufo al Limone - zucchini, black truffle risotto, burrata & lemon zest" under Main Courses.
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