Great discovers and adventurers have always fascinated other people. Some people dream about standing on the top the world highest mountain, others would like set their feet on the Moon or Mars, some would like to discover an ancient wonder, others would like to meet an unknown tribe in the jungle, or like to ride on the waves passing Cape Hope. Anyway I am holy convinced that the first visitors at Tahiti experience what I will call The World Most Comfortable Discovery.
Sunny Tahiti made it hot for Captain Cook and his men. The warm-bloody women made it even hotter for them. The women at Tahiti wear coconut breast holder when I was there. Stories how the played music of joy on primitive flutes, accompanied with voices, how the cried with join on meeting a friend after a long absence. The women exposed their breasts as a form a welcome.
Feed by fish, breadfruit and coconut milk, by pretty women, and with rum, Captain Cooks men got totally nuts.
Discovered that there were two similar inlets on the north coast of Moorea, each cutting deeply into the near 4000-foot volcanic peaks, both suitable anchorages and more sheltered than any harbour on Tahiti. Cook chose the one called Opunohu.
It was strange for me to notice that the other harbour is called Cooks bay today. For Cook and his crew the beautiful surroundings were considered as a paradise beyond compare. They could admire clear streams and a river poured into the bay, the slopes were a mass of flowers and flowering shrubs, fruit of every description was for the picking and the waters teemed with fish. With numerous and willing women in such surroundings made Captain Cooks men complete happy. Today Moorea is still a beautiful island. Its very popular for romantic couples to stay there.
Most tourists go to the islands of Bora Bora and Moorea. I also visited Bora Bora. It was a beautiful exotic island, but with many foreign tourists. Its more interesting to go to other islands where its possible to meet local people in a natural way.
Each in July, the Heiva festival in Papeete celebrates Polynesian culture and the commemoration of the storming of the Bastille in France. I attend a great dancing show with dancers decorated in beautiful costumes. The girls swing theirs hips as I never seen before. The rhythm in the dances was so intensive that I could rest a moment even a sat down. It was a pleasure observing the dance.
Inspired by the erotic dancing shows, I bought a CD with Tahitian music with a royal folkloric troupe of Tahiti called Coco`s Temaeve. It must be something to play for my friends at parties, I guessed. The music was intensive at some parts, and slowly and harmonic at other parts. So it was well suitable for different situations, both wild parties and romantic evenings.
The Mutiny on Bounty
The Mutiny on the Bounty was a mutiny aboard a British Royal Navy ship on 28 April in 1789. This dramatic incident has been made famous by several books, films, and other media such as songs. I have seen some of the movies of what happened on the ship Bounty.
I also read the book of the mutiny called The Pitcairners written by Robert Nicolson to get a more impression what was really happen. He reveals some amazing stories that no one would believe could happen. Its many times worse than an American soap opera TV serie.
As I could understand from the book, the movies about the mutiny is pretty romanticised, and has it alibi for that, but dont tell the whole truth. The most amazing story about the mutinies its about what happen on the island where they hided. This is so crazy that no one would dare to make a movie about it.
In Nicolson`s book he describe the Bounty Mutineers as a lost tribe in the South Pacific, who finally found a safe heaven in Pitcairn Island. From the fate of the mutineers to life on the island 200 years later, the author tells a fascinating, but also extremely shocking story.
It is not surprising that the most famous of all mutinies from British HMS Bounty, has become a legend. It has been written countless books including a historical novel by Mark Twain, The Great Revolution in Pitcairn. The mutiny has generated five films. The mutiny was led by Fletcher Christian against the captain, William Bligh. Who can think of Fletcher Christian without picturing Marlon Brando.
Bligh and his crew spent five months in Tahiti, collecting and preparing a total of 1015 breadfruit plants. Bligh allowed the crew to live ashore and care for the potted breadfruit plants, and they became socialised to the customs and culture of the Tahitians. The men become totally lost in the local beauties, and Fletcher married one of the beautiful Tahitian girls. I was to a restaurant called Fletcher Christian which was named after him.
How it become
Tahiti and her islands were then divided into several realms and kingdoms and the separated Polynesian people began giving praise to different gods.
Little by little, the Protestant and Catholic missionaries began evangelising the islands when around 1797, with the help of the Europeans, one of the chiefs proclaimed his supremacy and created the "Pomare Dynasty".
The missionaries tried everything to stop the Tahitians from tattooing and dancing. They thought it was too erotic, and the local people had to practise their traditional dancing in secret. Power and charm, symbolic body movements, beautiful costumes and ornaments characterise the Tahitian dance which is still a popular practice, an element of social cohesion. Some dancing groups like Les Grands Ballets de Tahiti are on tour on the international stage.
Many things have changed in Tahiti. The modern Tahiti is not was it once time. After being influenced by the outside world, the society on the islands changes gradually. I dont know what is worst for Tahitians; the missionaries or the French? A combination could be a catastrophe!
Tahiti today
Aerial view of Arue and Mahina area, east of Pipette Tahitians, are French citizens with full civil and political rights. The Tahitian language and the French language are both in use.
Tahiti is part of French Polynesia - Polynesie Française. French Polynesia is now a semi-autonomous territory of France with its own assembly, President, budget and laws. France's influence is limited to providing subsidies, education and security.
Traditional musical instruments include pahu and toere drums and the curious nose flute called a vivo. Guitars and ukuleles made their way into Polynesia and the locals developed a unique song style that owes much to country & western music in form but has a distinctive South Pacific island groove.
Customary dancing (tamure) has slowly made its way back into French Polynesian life, but sadly, the art of making tapa (bark paper and cloth), practised throughout the Pacific, has largely disappeared. You can still see it on Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas.
I visited some of the bars in Papeete. In some of them it was like travelling back in time. Many men looked like pirates and hang on the women, or was it opposite. I drank bottles of Rums and pretended I was a pirate too. It was a way to socialise. I past a restaurant one day called Fletcher, named after the leader of the mutiny.
All good things come to an end sings
.. now a days. Escape to the world's most seductive places before is too late. By going to Tahiti you explore one of the most beautiful and exotic places on earth. Perhaps you meet some angels too!
Stein Morten Lund, February 2007.
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