Tahiti Part 2 - The Story of the Polynesians

The first place to which we were taken on our tour of Tahiti was an excellent museum. It was beautifully laid out and made full use of the rich timbers found on the island. Unfortunately I could not hear our lovely guide much of the time, but the displays themselves spoke eloquently of the proud history of the people. Their craftsmanship, innovation and initiative, musicality and incredible sea-faring skills were very evident. 

The Polynesians travels thousands of kilometres by canoe to settle within what they now call the ‘Polynesian Triangle’ - including Hawaii to the north and New Zealand to the south. So their culture, customs and language became widespread. Even though the societies they created then developed their own unique culture, they still have an incredible amount in common. This of course also includes some of the plant species they brought with them to sustain them on their journeys. Their commonalities and small differences were highlighted at the museum. 

For me, what I learned at the museum and later from our guide made our journey across the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to French Polynesia to New Zealand, which we will reach in a couple of days, all the more meaningful. I am doing it from the comfort of a big ship and even then we have had some pretty rough seas. I and many others have been living off seasick tables for several days to ensure our stomachs don’t play up, and we walk around a bit like drunken sailors some of the time as the ship sways from side to side. I cannot imagine how the Polynesians kept going in their small canoes under those conditions, presumably using the sun, moon and stars as their guide. 

I hope the photos I was able to take as we walked through at a fairly quick pace will give you some idea of how interesting it was. 

An unusual kind of palm tree growing in the garden of the museum.

Some of the canoes on display in an outdoor exhibit.

The Polynesian Triangle. Of course this is in French, but it shows just how many islands are related to one another.  

One of the works of art in the museum. There were many spears and utensils that showed very intricate carving and weaving skills.

This gives you an idea of the layout of some of the museum.

Another version of the Polynesian Triangle.

An ancient canoe and a representation of it inside the museum. I did not know until I saw that, that the Polynesians used sails on their canoes. 

A display of some of the devices used for cooking. There also was a display of carved stones used for grinding grain in the different islands,  showing how each island group developed its own design - all very cleverly designed for a good grinding surface and a strong grip.

This display showed different fine paper-like fabrics and print designs developed in the different island groups. (There were more out of the range of the camera.) 

A lobster trap used by the people. They also had other amazing traps for other sea life, as well as nets.

The fine carving cannot be seen here, but the men were clearly great warriors.

Part of a mural showing how the Polynesians welcomed visiting ships. 

It is very interesting to read a little about this king in the image below.  It seems he was great diplomat for his people, as were the kings of Hawaii, the first of whom was only able to truly unite the islands in the very early 1800s.