St.David's irises

Not a daffodil nor leek in sight, and only a few rather freezer-burnt lamb chops to be found in the local store, so St. David's day passed uncelebrated here in Rurutu, or almost, there were these rather lovely irises blooming, and, we broke out a bottle of Welsh mineral water, on sale in supermarkets in Tahiti!
Also, as always, I took a pause for thought about my homeland (enjoying exceptionally cold temperatures, blanketed in snow and ice), and what being Welsh still means to me, after more than a decade on the other side of the world.
Identity (cultural or otherwise) is a subject that I spend more and more time musing about at the moment, between the genealogical sagas here and the kid's school projects. It's funny to say, but I definitely identify with many aspects of  Polynesian culture these days. I have actually always felt that Polynesians and Welsh have a fair bit in common, Robert L Stevenson was struck by likenesses between the Scottish Celts and Marquesans, in his Tales of the South Pacific, I can't vouch for the Scots, but I often feel like the mindset here is a bit like small villages in Wales, even today. And the Polynesians have a spicy character that I identify with the Welsh, I am a great fan of Dylan Thomas, a great anglo-welsh poet, and if you've ever read the radio play Under Milk Wood, I like to think that I've found my own Polynesian Llareggub.

There we have valleys not islands, sheep not coconut palms, but the small town gossip and colorful characters abound!

Or maybe it's just that we are all really the same in the end.

Five years of Amai

 

A week in town

We were just in Tahiti for a week, coinciding with our twice annual tourism fair. It was a wet week, under torrential rain almost the whole time. For once I was not at all in need of a week in the "big city", having had a good dose of "civilisation" in NZ. The traffic, relentless rain and noise was wearing, particularly as I was on a training course for a few days, getting anywhere by 8am is a big hassle in Tahiti, welcome to gridlock! But it was interesting learning about the "fundamentals of management" from a large hotel manager, I guess it's never too late to learn, though it does feel a lot like we're being squeezed into the hotel bracket by our Association and the Ministry of Tourism. Yes, we need to be regulated, but it kind of strangles out the rustic charm, that I fell in love with personally, so part of me resists this professionalization, though it seems inevitable. If you want a hotel, there are hotels, but we are a guesthouse, and I'm happy with that, though I agree that there's something to be said for a well run guesthouse! Aside from the opportunity to meet our public at the fair and fill our rooms, it's always a chance to see a whole host of friends and connections, dropping by to pick up a few packets of Rurutu coffee or some homemade jam and honey from the garden! Particularly exciting was the chance to meet Cécile, a journalist for a large local French TV channel, who was with us back in March for the Fa'afaite expedition. She was here from Paris, to cover the FIFO (Oceanian Documentary Film Festival), which happily coincides with the tourism fair. The FIFO is a beautiful event exposing a huge diversity of Oceanian films and cutting edge issues in the Pacific, from Papuan deforestation, Samoan transvestites to Polynesian identity crises and cultural renaissance, as well as the political history of French Polynesia. She is now launching the idea for a documentary about A'a, the Rurutu ti'i, alongside a local production company, maybe a FIFO entry for the future. She has been to see the original in London and met with the curator Julie Adams, and is now keen to take it further. I'm excited by the buzz, there is also an article about the sculpture and us in the Tahitian women's magazines Fenua Orama. Another exciting development is the unveiling of a new island logo by our mayor's office, inspired by drawings made by the primary school, guess who has pride of place in the middle of the logo, yes it's A'a, a huge recognition of his significance for our island. There's hope yet that we can get him here someday!

 

The passing of a Rurutu legend

In early February, Rurutu lost one if its great ladies, Taaria Walker, known as Mamie Pare.
Born in 1930 she experienced a life of change, as a young girl she earned a scholarship to study in Tahiti, the journey being undertaken by schooner back then. She became the first qualified nurse from Rurutu. A pionner and striking beauty, she married for love at a time when arranged marriages were the norm, she was a charismatic and outspoken character, best known for having written a book about her life, and Rurutu legends more generally, her take on oral history causing outrage amongst the council of elders! I will also remember her dancing on the table in the local snack!