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Polynesia, that's the life

The Polynesia, with the Ma'hoïs people, is very different from New Caledonia : the language, culture, the territorial government. The Polynesian is spoken from the Zealand News to Hawaii while passing by the Easter Island, whereas to New Caledonia, one counts 30 languages and even more dialects. They do not understand from a village or from one valley to another. There is also a strong independence movement in Polynesia..

Nice mockeries What some tahitiens regard as " nice jokes " is not inevitably appreciated by the tourists. A guide said to us: " It is not malicious, we are for the French, because the Americans would put us behind nettings for exhibiting us !!

" I received cement splashes " whereas I was interested in work and chattered nicely with a workman tahitian. By the same occasion, he l also received cement in his eye. All the workmen made me then great smiles while passing to side, delighted of their good joke.

In Bora, while passing close to a sitted group of young people close to the beach, we caused " nice " laughter from them : they tell some good story on you in Tahitian, knowing that one does not understand.

"there is not citrron anymore " (lemon).

In a pretty straw hut of Bora Bora, where the life runs peacefully, we order "fish à la Tahitienne". Peaceful response of managing: " there is not citrron " (lemon). How come there is not not lemon, it comes from where the lemon ? answer " from Tahiti " (*). this is the country and its problems, but also its charm if one agrees not to live in a " asepticized machinery fot tourists ".

(*) I was told later that it was perhaps not the season of the Polynésien lemon.

Nice mockeries

History (old) of the Chinese : "Chou en li (fictitious name) goes to the market on his bicycle, very happy with the good bargains which it will make this day by selling its products.
It meets in path a group of Tahitians which stops him and which, after having put it entirely nude, attaches his hands to the handlebar and the feet on the pedals". Our unfortunate Chinese, obliged to pedal to avoid falling, can only carry on his path. Arrived at the market, says one made some several times the turn before some merchants help him to get out of his trapped bicycle!!

We did not remain enough in Polynesia to note many facts in the newspapers or the day to day life. I express simply what I could feel or see. In only two days spent in PAPEETE, we saw a drunk man, from which it was necessary to deviate, and a poor wretch woman, enormous and so filthy you can't imagine, who passed in front of " the Retro ", pleasant bar of PAPEETE. It's awful because there would be so much happiness with this smiling,sweet and friendly population.

THE LOCAL PRESS
The newspaper " Tahiti Pacifique" would be independent. Others are " under the aegis of the Hersan Group.

Rae Rae, the solution when there is a shortage of women

In Polynesia, for lack of births of girls, some men are brought up " as girls " by the families; it is true that there are very effeminate men. We saw a group of beautiful young women, a little odd all the same, at a corner of a street in centre of PAPEETE, which were selling their charms; finally, that was.


THE FRENCH PRESS, July 2000 -
" the canard enchaîné ":

" tourism does not take off, because for French and American, Tahiti is very expensive, not very accessible, with its rare public beaches, its artificial money "franc pacifique", its inflation of Lexus hotels on piles which, as in Bora Bora, kill the lagoon ". Without reproducing the ground of the item, one can agree with certain points. There is often confusion between Tahiti, which manages the whole of Polynesia and the islands. Tahiti is not Bora Bora, neither Huahine, nor Moorea.

" Stop throwing your bottles of beer in my garden.." (Bora-Bora)


Unemployment, drink and drug : Think to be cautious but do not dramatise too much ; some leaflets invite to be prudent the evening, especially on the weekend.

French songs One can hears old French and American songs on the radio, as if we were retrogressed in time : "che sera sera" (that will be, will be. ) (266 KB) ; in French "dans le berceau d'un vieux château, une promesse vient d'arriver, une princesse..") tranlation, in the cradle of an old castle, a promise comes to arrive, a princess..)

Song of "the gardian de Camargue (225 ko).

 In a classy hotel, whereas the rain started to fall, the receptionist started herself to sing gently a child song : "il pleut, il pleut bergère.." (it rains, it rains shepherdess...) and the continuation! charming.

Big and fatty

According to the tradition, the Polynesians like themselves to be "in flesh" and for us straightforwardly fatty. If a majority of them are not fat, one finds also men and women whom one can describe as obese; food "in the American way" can also play a role, just like in France where one is alarmed to see now young people " in overload weight".

Paréo and flowers on the ear The paréo (pareu) is sometimes carried but clothing is generally standardised : One sees some young women with a flower in the hair, or on the ear, but generally it is at the reception desk of the hotels, agencies; sometimes also in street and as I asked a sales woman if there were a significance in the port of the flower, she answered me: " it is finished that, it was our " grrands mèrres " (grang mother).

Effectiveness
Relaxation made us fear the worst sometimes. If one excludes a misunderstanding due to the organization of our specially fiitted travel, with a flight to Nouméa, all was very well organized. There are sometimes odd situations, as on arrival with Bora, because the driver of our bus did not have our name on his document, but knew that it took to us !! It's not really France there and it is also why we go there and some part of the pleasure.

Géo magazinr, January 2003 : "the majority of Micronésiens and Polynésiens take part in the installation of a migratory network, bound for Australia, the News Zealand, the cities of north American Pacific coast, New Caledonia and France for the French ones.

In 2002, 340 000 Polynesians resided on the Californian coast (Los Angeles) and 150 000 in Australia (especially Sydney).

"On the whole, 540 000 Polynesians live in their island of origin, 770000 form minorities autochtones in Hawaii and in News Zealand (230 000),

850 000 circulate now in and around the Pacific.

All do not return in their island, but their incomes help the sedentary families to get the modern goods of equipment.


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