The Tahitian Culture
By: Justin Cheng
Origins
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Tahiti is estimated to have been settled between AD
300 and 800 by Polynesians
These Tahitian settlers are believed to have sailed from
Fiji, Samoa, or Tonga.
Tahiti is the biggest island in French Polynesia
A Closer Look
European Contact in the 1700s
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Samuel Wallis, an English sea captain, sighted Tahiti on June 18,1767,
and is considered the first European visitor
Wallis was followed in April 1768 by the French explorer LouisAntoine de, completing the first French circumnavigation.
Bougainville made Tahiti famous in Europe when he published
Voyage Autour Du Monde.
James Cook later visited the islands to view the Transit of Venus in
April 1769.
After European contact and exploration died down, the Tahitian
population died down from 35,000 to 16,000 all the way to 6000 at
one point.
This was all due to guns, prostitution, venereal disease, alcohol,
Christianity, and diseases such as typhus, influenza, and smalllpox.
Tahiti in the 20th Century
1946-Tahiti and all of French Polynesia
becomes a French overseas territory.
 Paul Gauguin, a famous French painter
lived in Tahiti in the 1890s and painted
many Tahitian subjects.
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Who are the Tahitians?
The indigenous Tahitians are of Polynesian ancestry
comprising 70% of the population alongside Europeans,
East Asians, and many mixed families.
Ultimately, the Tahitian population today is a huge
melting pot of many different races and ethnicities.
The Early Tahitians
Early Tahitians lived off the land
 Lived in clans, each with roles to help the
community as a whole
 Were expert fishermen and craftsmen
which both skills helped in trade.
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Tahitian Culture and Life in Tahiti
Today
Still live off the land
 Very French influenced in culture
 Tourist flooded in some places
 Ancient culture is still preserved today
 Most Tahitians speak multiple language
including French and their ancient dialect
of Tuamotu.
 There are approximately 262,000
residents of Tahiti
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Tahitian Culture Today
Heiva I Tahiti
 Tahitian Dance/Music
 The City
 My experience there
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Tahitian Culture outside of Tahiti
Tahitian Dance has spread here, Mexico, Japan,
and many other countries.
 Polynesian Tattoo has become very popular
here as well.
 Boating sports and Music are also becoming
very popular all over the world.
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My Personal Experience with
Tahitian Culture
Dancing and Music
 Art
 Benefits of Dancing
 Competing
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOgt-Xf084Q&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GUtT1vD2HE
Mainstream Tahitian Culture
The only pieces of Tahitian Culture that has
passed into the states is the dance, music,
and art.
Music
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PX3V
NG6C6I&feature=related <htn
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUQuI
8qu8Rg <nonosina
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge2w
XP5hJ9I <heikura nui
Modernization/Traditional styles of
Tahitian Dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPNYJxD2gCk <poerani
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWZIIzt8XBw&feature=related <manuia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D5dKmM-oww
<nonosina
Is Modernization of Tahitian Culture
Destroying the Tradition?
In my opinion, because of the modernization of
Tahitian dance and music in the states, many
groups in the States are not keeping the culture.
Even in Tahiti, some groups are falling out of
tradition and falling in to the modern Tahitian
dance hype. So yes, modernization is destroying
the tradition, and only few groups are still around
to keep the tradition how it should be.
Manuia:
The Keepers of Tradition
Personally, my group has been one of the
few groups, maybe the only group in
Tahitian dancing that has been keeping the
real culture alive in the United States.
 As a group, we give the audience a show
of real Tahitian Culture, trying to persuade
them to favor traditional dancing rather
than the modern.
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Future of the Tahitian Culture
What I hope for it
 Tahitian Culture expansion
 How fast it has been expanding
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http://www.villavahimanui.com/MH%20PAINT%20TAHITIANS%20320.JPG
http://www.truetahitivacation.com/images/tahiti_world_map.jpg
http://en.tahitipresse.pf/wpcontent/blogs.dir/2/files/2010/03/03252010210047306037C112359.jpg
http://www.lilithgallery.com/arthistory/postimpressionism/images/1894-PaulGauguinNave_Nave_Moe-Miraculous_Source.jpg
http://www.janeresture.com/oceania_people/TAHITI%20FRANCE%20POLYNESIA%20FIS
HERMAN.jpg
http://www.tahiti-tourisme.com/gallery/photos/big/Hotels/Hotl01.jpg
http://flagspot.net/images/p/pf.gif
Suggs, R.C. "The Derivation of Marquesan Culture." Royal Anthropological Institute of Great
Britain and Ireland n. pag. Web. 26 Jul 2011. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/2844464?seq=9>.
Crocombe, R.G. "French Polynesia: a book of selected readings." Institute of Pacific Studies
of the University of South Pacific (1988): n. pag. Web. 26 Jul 2011.
<http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr&id=S8MUAJaq2cC&oi=fnd&pg=PA32&dq=tahitian+culture&ots=BOi_lWmoR2&sig=EVObG_BuLJ_w9
D4x4Dzi7dXfuWg#v=onepage&q=tahitian%20culture&f=false>.
Kuwhara, Makiko. "Dancing and Tattooing the imagined Territory: Identity Formation at
Heiv and the festival of Pacific Arts." JCAS, 2006.Web. 26 Jul 2011. <http://0scholar.google.com.opac.sfsu.edu/scholar?hl=en&q=heiva+i+tahiti&btnG=Search&as_sdt=
0%2C5&as_ylo=&as_vis=0>.