Travel guide
French Polynesia

The 12 keywords French Polynesia

1. #Coprah

Cultivated on many islands, especially in the Societies and the Tuamotu, copra is the dried albumen of the coconut, or white water. When the coconuts fall, their flesh is recovered, dried in the sun, and transformed into copra. Sent to Tahiti, the copra is used to produce a crude oil used by the manufacturers of monoi.

2. #Fetii

It is a member of the extended family. Everyone is more or less a brother-in-law or cousin by marriage, and Polynesians always have one or more fetii in each of the Polynesian islands, like a huge family. In Papeete, there are whole fetii neighbourhoods that reconstitute family neighbourhoods in urban areas

3. #Mahi mahi

It's the Polynesian name for the dorado. In the Tuamotu, it is fished with a spear, with a poti marara (motor boat), during an eventful chase. The mahi mahi is the king of fish in the local diet: grilled or raw with coconut milk, you will find it on all the menus of snack bars and restaurants.

4. #Marae

Erected in a rectangular shape, the marae are ancient outdoor stone-paved places of worship where religious ceremonies were held. During the Heiva in July-August, these sacred sites are revived to the rhythm of traditional song and dance. Note that the Marquisians use a different terminology and call these buildings "meae".

5. #Motu

Especially in the lower islands, the reef crown is adorned in places with coral surfaces that are still emerged: this is called a motu, an island in short. The latter can take on various shapes and proportions - in the Tuamotu archipelago for example, the main motu of Fakarava stretches over some forty kilometres!

6. #Poti marara

Originally specially designed for fishing for marara, small flying fish with delicate flesh, the poti marara is now also used for fishing for bonito, tuna with a harpoon and mahi mahi. Made locally, it has powerful engines, a hull capable of splitting the wave at high speed, and of course nets.

7. #Rae rae

The rae rae (pronounced "rairai"), or mahu, are transvestites. According to a legend, regardless of gender, the third child in the family was raised as a girl. According to the accounts of the first explorers, rae rae have always existed in Polynesian customs. Today, they are still well accepted, integrated and respected.

8. #Tamure

The sensual and even sexual dance of the Tahitian women has amazed many an explorer. Banned by the missionaries, the tamure remained in the shadows until the beginning of the century and began to revive at the end of the war. Practised by both men and women, it is undeniably part of French Polynesia's rich cultural heritage.

9. #Tane and Vahine

Respectively "man" and "woman". Beyond the signs on the doors of public toilets, these terms will be useful to you because they are fully part of the Franco-Taitian vocabulary. By extension, they are also used to translate "husband" and "wife"; you will now be able to answer the question "What is the name of your tane?"

10. #Tabu

It refers to a prohibition related to the sacred. Quite simply, in the Maori tradition, a tabu thing is inviolable because it is sacred. Whether you think it's out of place or not, it is de rigueur to respect a tabu, or else, according to Polynesian religious beliefs, you will receive a punishment of the supernatural order..

11. #Vaa'a

This is the Polynesian name for the traditional pendulum pirogue, the king sport in all the islands of Polynesia. While surfing, also an ancestral sport, is also popular with young people, the racing dugout canoe is still the competitive sport par excellence. It is notably publicised in Fenua during the famous Hawaiki Nui race.

12. #Vini

The vini - literally "little chirping bird" - is a very popular bird in Polynesia and is a pretty grey headed bird. So popular that it gave its name to the territory's first mobile phone operator in 1998, and everyone has been calling a mobile phone a vini ever since! If someone asks you for your vini, it's your number..