1.
HAT WAS a jour·
nal entry made
Len year11 ago,
afrer l'd spenr
rhrec monrhs hv-
mg on Ratatea, an
tslanù 120 miles
norchwesc of Ta-
hici. The sray had
lefr an indclible mark. l had been on a
ft:llowsh tp, sruJying isolared mamune
culrures, and when llefr l rook wtrh me a
much more humble worldvtew chat
In 1978 Andrew Revkin
(above, far righi) first
visited the Teihotaata
famlly as a student. Ten
years later (righi) some
of the children have lefl
for other islands. But
waves stili endlessly
move toward Ralatea's
reef (apposite).
come~ wirh ll•mg on a very smnll i land
m a very btg ocean. Ir wa~ a vicw rhat
unfolded each rime I climbed a :;recp
mounrain parh behmd rhe vlllagc of
Feruna, lookcd down, anù saw only rhc
green of che i~land and thc blue of rhe
Pacific. And che htghcr l chmbl:J, rhc
!omaller rhac grcen ~peck becamc.
lt vas one family in Fcruna thar Jrew
mc back ro Ramrea a JccaJc afcer my Cirsr
viSit. I was returning ro look in again on
Turo and Fareka Teihoraara, who'J once
raken me imo rhetr home and shown me
rheir way of lifc. My wife, Lmda, and l
haJ wnrten rhem, and rheir reply,
encouraging u to come, provided rhe
Cirsr clue rhar rhmgl> had changed. Ar
rhc top of rhe noce rhere was a phone
numher. Ten year ago rhcre werc no
tclephoncs, no clectricity.
In French, Turo wrme: "( scnd greer·
ing~ co your lirrle family of rwo from our
big family in Fetuna- che IO children
and Il grandchtldren." None of che
grandchilJrcn had been born when l
was rherc.
W
HILE THE PLANE
from Tahtu w Raiarea
climbs above Faaa
Airport, che urban
sprawl of Papeete,
Tahttt's recming capitai, unfolds bclow,
and l realize rhar Polynesta's song hns
grown faincer. In rcccm years devclop-
menr and rounsm havc bmught mororcy·
cles and video stores ro che most heav1ly
rrnmmeleJ tslanJ~. Papccre, in parncu-
lar, •~ a mess of rraffic and noise; and
rherc is hardly a btt of Moorea's shorc
rhat isn'c tn sighr ofa luxury rel>Ort. Forry
minurcs larcr, ns we descend coward
Ra•atea, l get my Cìrst aerial vtew of rhe
Polynesia's song has grown
fainter in recent years.
60 ISLANDS

2.
In Uturoa, the malntown on Ralatea, daily business lncludes lime for blcycllsts to stop toparau'al'al, "make small talk."
"l.mJ. Tcn vea~ earltcr l h,tJ a lowcr
'antm:c pomt, from che Jecl.; of ,, ru t~
frctghtcr. Dcck pa age,~ che chcapcM
way w go.
Raiatca j, a 16-mtlc-long tcnrdmp of
vulcantc rock '<lftcneJ hy a Jcmc c..trpct
ofgrccncry anJ encircleJ b , b.uncr rccf
anJ hmtle green lagoun. A 'mallcr
net~o:h~>r, Tahaa, lt6 wtthm che ,,une
tllttcr rccf. Bora-&1ra anJ lluahmc c.m
l'C 'ccn an che Jtscance. A-. dtc piane
ctrdc., O"Cr L'turo.)a, rhc c)nl) truc W n,
lmlc rrafltc ,how... on che m.tJ,. L:rurtl,l
remam~ ,1 .,Jeep} ~ackwaccr Jc~ptrc bcmu
rhc aJmtnl~tranve l.car f11r Frcnch Poly-
ne~t.t lccwarJ ·~lancb anJ che ~cconJ
~aguc~t populanon cenrer- mtlf llfRat,t·
rea 7,386 mhabitanh !tvc m or :trounJ
rhc t11wn.
A' ''c Jt,cmh;trk ar rhc lanJinu 'rnr. ,1
pl.lti)('O of Frem:h ~~IJter,, r.tnnl•J ,mJ
taut from a lean Jn:t .mJ tm~ ofcxcruon,
gathers tn <l corner ot che atrptlrt. The
taxi Jnver wh11 mkc' l" tnto wwn ..ays
che soldicr:. h;tve JUM ftnhhcd parachutc
drop!>. "Thcy'rc practicmg m ftght in
New Caledonia," hc say,, mentioning
Fmnce's mo~t rrouhlcJ owr...ca~ rcrriwr.
where tndigcnou' t~l.mJcr... anJ French
sente~ are k~o..kcJ 10 a 'truQglc ft,r JXlwer.
"And mayl-e ~umcd.ly the will fi~ht
here," hc aJJ~. Rehrnm-. bcrwecn the
Tahtttan anJ che Fcut.mi, he ':1),, usm~
the T:lhl(tan word ltlr Frcnch, ha"e erown
tncreasingl) ~~1ur. Thc rcccnr "IOlenr
unrcsc tn Ncw CalcJont,l ts lclt hcre 10
French Polync,irt. Evcn though che two
rcmtones are 'cpar;m•J hy 2,700 male~ nf
occan, many l:.thiu,m' go w Ncw Cal·
edoma tu wmk m lucr.mve mtnmg or
conl>trucntln Jnh,.
The Jmer, namcJ Kaciui, kmn'·'Turo
wdl. Hc j, m rown roda}. hc '·''· '(/c
'WP at che markcrpbce, whtc.h ,., ncarly
,,Jcnt. F.trmcr' from a netghhonng j.,l.lnJ
ltc .,Jccpmg alnng~tdc rhctr warc., hc:1p~
of warcrmclon!> and 4uinrcr:. of pmcap·
pie:. l,tccJ wgcrhcr wtch hemp rwmc.
h~hcrmcn Jt,pl<t 'tringcr., nf grccn pilr·
rot it.,h anJ r,tcb ~~r ~rreamlmcJ honttu.
X.c arl' ..uung .n une uf thc fuoJ ,t,tll,
''hcn l 'cc .t t:tmtltilr figure ,hufflmg
.,(m, h .tem,., thc ...quarc. lt '' 'l.m1.
Tuw farhcr. Hc ha,n't ch<tnl!cJ. A J"lll"•
crfull hutlt m.m. he grcers cvcrmnc lw
p<mC'> 'lth <l ,mdc anJ a hanJ,h,tkc.
Whcn Naru 'cc., me, ht., cyc- ,parklc
Wtth rct:ognmon. Thc 67-yc;tr·okl man
rrnuJI} Jc..crihe... hts grcnc·granJ-
chtiJrcn "' hc lcaJ~ U'> to a ncw cumplcx
uf guvcrnmcnr office' '''Hh tharchcd
roo.1b. Turo nouce' u' and ''alb ovcr. ht,
'mtic hruaJcnmg '' tth C"crv 'tep. At 47,
Stringers ofgreen parrot fish, racks
62 I"LA~'a S

3.
Al the sometlmes sleepy Uturoa maf't(etplace (top),
fresh bonito (above) from beyond the reef could end
up on aRaiatea table as aPolynesian delicacy,
polsson cru, by the end of the day.
of bonito. • •
O 1000 :1000 3000 Ka,_ t 1
l TH rAI lFI( ( ( Eo'110
_..
~~NEW~ ZEALANO
SOCrETY
ISlANDS
...
..
t
ISLANDS 63

4.
~ Turo has changed. His dark eyes and
~ handsome face are che same, bue hi~
à waìsdine has grown by quire a few
l inches, an mdcx (1f mcreasmg prosperiry.
~ A family busmess that had jusc bcgun
! arolmd the rime of my lasr visic is thriv-
~> ing: Hc and his wife, Fareka, now :.eli
beer and soda from thcir house.
Tcn years ago Turo was an a:;:,isranr ro
h1s farher, who was rhcn rhe village
chicf. Because Narii could neither read
nor wr1re, Turo d1d ali rhe paper-
work-and therc was a lor ofit, thanks co
tht! bureaucracy creareJ by rhe French.
Now rhere IS a longmg for local govcrn-
menr, "bue no one does much abour 1t,"
ays Turo. "Thc hills are full of mangoes
and bananas. The reef has lors of fish.
'Aita pe'at>e'a." No worries.
Turo makes the rounds nf the market,
commg away with :.everal pmeapples and
a bonito. and wc board onc of rhe
brightly painred rrucks that are rhe buses
o( Polynesia and head south for Feruna.
New sighr~ mesh w1th fading memories
a~ che truck winds around ridges ~md
down along rhc Lagoon. We passa viliage
ar rhc foor of Mounr Temeham, a voi·
canic moumain char ri es inco che
clouds. Unril recendy rhc misry plarcau
ar the rop could only be reached after a
daylong hike. Now, Turo says, tralis have
heen cut up ro thc plateau that allow
four-wheel-dnve vehicles w bring vis-
in the world.
itor:> up m less rhan an hour. Onc reason
for rhc rrip is che riure 'at>e tahi, a f•ve-
peralcJ Aower rhatgrows on che plareau-
and nowhere else m che world. The
wh1tc blossoms, wh1ch open ac sunrbe
wirh a resounding pop, resemblc a lily
char i:.~piit 10 haif. The flowers were once
taboo co alt bue R~uarca's royalty, and,
accordmg to Polynestan scholars, che
blossoms represenr che h<md ofa pnncess
from Tahm who wa:. prevented from mar·
rying hcr Raiatcan lover.
Ra1area's kmgs and priesrs hold aspe-
Cial piace in che l,700-year history of
centrai Polynesia. le wa:. from che broad
bay ar che mourh of Faaroa River on
Raiarca's east coast rhat Jouble-hulled
canocs scr satl on voyages o( cxploration
that culminared in rhe dtscovcry of
Hawaii and ew Zealand. And at Opoa,
a lirrle farrher Jown thar coast, are che
rums t>f Marae Tapurapuatca, Tahirian
cìvili:anon's most sacred tempie,
descnbed by one Pacific. hisrorian as ''che
St. Perer's of centrai Polynesia." Kmgs
from as far away as che Cook lslands and
New Zcaland had ro travel w che broad,
bouldcr-lmed plaza for investiture.
A
FTER COVERING 25
miles 10 80 minures, we
round a riJge anJ che
shark's rooth profile of
Orop•ro-called "evil
ISLANDS 65

5.
mountam" bccau~c rhc worst storm~
always !>woop 10 uvcr ats ~houlder- ap·
pcars, m10g darectly hch10d thc 'lllage
of Fctuna. Thc mountaiO usually wears a
~hrouJ of cloud, and when the wipy taal
of thc clouJ po10ts wward Feruna, thc
village gards for wind and rain.
A quact cummunny of ahour 100
10hahatant~. Fctuna laes along thc rhm
nbhon of land that run~ betwècn thc
mounrams anJ the lagoon. Flat-bot·
tomcd outhoard skaff~ hang fmm racb
ne;u thc -.ca; cattlc gra:c 10 the grovc~ of
coconut palms rhat ~wcep up 10to rhc
halb. lr t!> mango sca'tm, and the uce:.
are rhack wath blu~h10g pank anJ ycllo~
fruat. Bcncarh che rrecs ,, narconc per·
fume waft~ from a m<lsh of fallcn, fcr·
mentang mangoc!>. "A good mango
cason mc;,n)o wc'rc an fur a baJ cyclone
season," says Turo. Tmdatton says a grcat
w10d musr come ro shakc '<l much frutt
from rhe trcc~.
Up ahcad a famaltar stcme JCtty jursour
10tu thc lagoc.m. Tcn ycars ago, cach
naghr as rhe sun-.er flared lakc fanned
embers, wc troopcd t)nto rhe JCHy ro fbh
wath hand l10es for dmncr. Someumes
when rhe moon w.h ncw, dcaJI~ stone·
fìsh would come anto the shallow . Once,
when wc wcrc pullmg m nets, onc o(
Turo daughrers poanted to my feet wath
a warnmg. llookcd butcould 'Ce nmhmg
untal shc took asuck, stabbed down, and
ltfted rhe reef-colorcd sronefash out ofrhc
warer. The poasonous 'pmcs had bcen
JUSt anches fmm my fect. In thc weeks
and months that followcd, wc carne
acro:.s four or five more of them. lt wa:.
only rhc last onc thar l spottcd on my
own: OK, l remcmbcr thmking at the
rime, l've finally arrived.
Turo say!> hc nnJ rarcka don't tì~h
anynmrc. "Wc'rc mo husy." Thcy 1:-uy
bonaro frum rhc markcr an Ururoa, or
thc) gct rccf fa~h frlltn a ncaghl'<)r, onc of
a handful of ' allagc~ who suli fì,h ~cv·
eral rame~ a wcek.
Thc truck ~Jucals w a h,tlt Wc Jump
down m frvnr of a tradattonal T.1hauan
housc. '' ith walls of Wtlvcn pand;tnus,
percht.-d on the cdge of thc lagoun. On
the !>ade facing thc 't!a, thcrc is an adda·
tton hualt of prc.,.,cJ bo.ud and corrugatcJ
un. A port.tl h.a, hccn c..ut an thc front
.tll w 't!rvc .h '' ,,,Ics wandow fc.lr thc
pacbgè swrc. hlrck.1 comcs fonard.
pullang hcr ycllo" (>cm:u up <mxmd hcr
~uhswnra.1l mr...o. Lakc Turo, shc has
Tree-ripened mangoes, one of lhe more colorful harvests of the Raiatea bounty.
After dinner we listen to the distant
66 I"LANDS

6.
Moana shares asiesta
with grandlather Turo
(lelt) and asnack wìth
cousin Elisa lrom
grandmother Fareka
(bottom). Daughter
Florlne (below) flashes
aTahitian smile.
grown in girch. She swamps us wnh hugs,
then laughs ac me. "You've lo~t wetght,"
she sayl>, rcmèmbering me as a wcll-fed
scudenc. Hovcring in her shadow are a
liccle hoy nnd a gtrl. Mmma anJ Elt::;a are
grantlchildrcn who've been aJopced by
Turo and Fareka. In Frcnch Polyncsia
chilùren are ofccn rJiscJ by pcople othcr
than rheir parenr~; orphans and babteS
born our of wcdlock are rakcn in hy
sisccrs, grandparenrs, or ncighbor:...
Shy, doc-eyed Elisa is nearly chree.
Her mocher, now 18, ts trying to find
work tn Papeere. Two-year-old Moana
(che name means "Jeep ocean" in Tahi-
tian) was a sickly baby, horn rhrec
months premature. "No onc wanretl
him," says Turo. "Now rhat hc's a bcau-
ttful boy, ali our sons-in-law want him.
But we're gotng ro kecp him. Righe,
Moana?" Thc boy clamber~ tnro Turo's
arms and lecs ouc a Tarzan yodel.
Thc tntcrior ofche hou c is brighrcncJ
by fabric hanging:. ~ewn hy Fareka.
Hibtscus blos..•..oms fili a bowl on a coun-
ter. A large coklr rclcvtsion, wirh a ptece
o( fabric prorecrmg rhc screen, has a
piace of honor. Thc year-old rclcphonc i~
hung on che wall ar eye leve!. Bur rhe
fwnt uf che houl>C ts caken twer by the
beverage busine~~: mlcb of cmpry bcer
borrles anJ a huge rcfngerawr.
Our firsr meal, ltke cvery one ro follow,
is enormous anJ procectls M a langUtd
pace. Moana sits on his granJfarhcr's lap
and prcsidcl> ovcr dtnncr, tssuing JUÙg-
menrs on cach coursc. Thcre are wok-
fricd tcaks anJ n~h. grccn salad, a large
bowl of ncc, anJ che most splendtd dtsh
in Polyncsia-p()isson cru. Cubcd fish (in
thts ca::.e, runa) ts manmuetl tn lime
juice, coconuc mtlk, gnrlic, anù gtnger,
thcn mtxed wirh sliced tnmaro, cucum·
ber, aml onion. LmJa ~rcaks almosc no
Frcnch, bur as che mcal progres:-es Farcka
cakes hcr tnto che folti!> ofT.1htwm ho~r•·
mltry, making hcr alrcady fcel very much
ar home.
After dinner, wc alt stp instant coffce
and, rhrough the large glassless wmdows
facing the sca, ltsren w rhe Jistanr
pounding ofche surf~m rhc rcef. Ltke che
SOlmd tlf some cnJicss frctghr tram, che
roar never ~rop:.. Ourstde, wpa'ct, largc
land crabs rhat ltve tn holcs around thc
house, scrahble afrer mble scraps rhe dogs
have lefc behind. Geckos enltvcn rhe
nighr as they scalk inscccs around che
bare ltghr bulb!;. Coconur racs :,camper
pounding of the surfon the reef
ISLANDS 67

7.
across rhe roof from rime to rime.
Tum and Fareka ralk of evcryrhing
th<H has occurred smcc In last trip. Of
rhc1r rcn ch•IJren, only rhe four youngcsr
,nll livc on Ra.area. These four sray ar
thc -.cconc.lary school in Ucuroa ali weck
and come home on wcckcnds. The s1x
oldest, ali g1rl:., movcd away, mosr of
rhem w rhe mam •~land, Tahiti, in
scarch ot jobs and husbtlnÙ!i. Thc each
marricd, hence rhe Il grandchildren.
In the morning l walk mto rhe ccnrer
ofrhe village and back inro my pasr when
Turo ch.!Jren ranged in age from 2 ro
15. Wc had fished for our supper, rended
gardens, and dug up a mounrains1de ro
planr vams. Thc k1c.ls raughr me Tahirian,
leadmg mc around by rhe hand, pointing
m rhings anJ quiz:mg me: "Eaha tera?"
What's rh•:.?
Tclcphonc poles are rhe most obvious
adJirion w rhe landscape. Bur hur-
Oressed in their Sunday best, churchgoers on Raiatea (above) make themselves
comfortable in tropical heat. Acourtyard paved with volcanic rock (apposite) reflects older
Tahitian religions at the tempie ruins of Marae Tapatapuatea.
68 JSLA~DS
ncanes caused rhc b1~gesr change: Sixof
rhem-"rhree bad and rhree not so bad,"
says Turo- wipcd out almosr every house
bcrwcen rhe road and rhe lagoon. One of
rhose houses bclongcù to Turo's farher,
Nani. lrs sharrered remams are now
sinking slowly imo rhe eanh likc a ror-
rmg log. Along wirh rhe othcr v1llagers
who losr rheir homes, Naril has built his
new ranch-sryle house up on rhc hill
berween the road and rhe moonram.
D
AYS PASS, and early plans
to fili rhem wirh diving,
fi:.hmg, and hiking are
ofren neglecred as we :.ettle
imo rhe rhyrhm of che vil-
lage. Turo's beer CUl>tomers mvanably
sray awhile ro parau 'ai'ar, "make small
ralk." At first the Tahitian worJs wash
over us rn a flood of vowels. Bur it is a
soft, very soothing language, almost likc
music, and l sometimes find mysclf JU5t
listening ro thc sounds, sraring our over
rhe warer.
In a sociecy that so values small calk,
che celephone is a big h1r. Turo calls h1s
daughrers every week. And m the even-
ing whilc dmncr is prepared, he tunes
che radio to one of the mosr popular
programs: a cali-in quiz show.
The arnval ofelectriciry has extended
day imo nighr. Where once we ali wcnt
ro bed when rhe lantern burned down an
hour afrer sunset, now Turo and Fareka
srr up and smoke and chat w1th neighbors
unrillO or ll o'clock. In rhe cvcnmgs rhc
rclcvistOn is often on, bur only occasion-
ally is it warchcd wirh rea! inrercsr. Thc
soap opera "Santa Barbara," duhbed in
French, is never missed. Despire rhc
amenna Turo placed on rhe mountain-
s•de across rhe roaù, reception is so bad
that rhe piccurc fades m and ouc evcry
fcw minurcs.
Church is sciJI primarily a St.x:ial and
musical evenr. The beli rhar used ro hang
from a tree branch now has 1ts own beli
rower, and chere are more shoes- and
fcwer bare fcer- m evidence at serv1ce .
XIh1te woven hars are fanncd as the
pasror ra1ls agamst rhe allure of Papcete.
"The notse of che big city blots our thc
voice ofGod," he says. "Here m Fcwna,
you can stili hear His voice." He loob
around che pews and lamems rhe lack of
young faces. In facr, rhe churchgoing
popularion has shrunk so much rhat
Feruna now shares its pasror wirh
anorhcr village.

8.
Thc road through Fetuna once pctereJ
out not far beyond the ,.,Jlage. Now H
:.llce~ up mto the craggy intenor IJkc a
scar and link:. up with rhe road rhat run!>
along che cast coasL Turo's cousm dnvcs
u:; 111to Uturoa one day, takmg thc ncwly
fin~Shed roure, che longer way .uound. "<l
rhat wc can sec che rest of Raiarea. The
mhcr Mdc of che tsland •~ much more
dcvelopcd: Tract~ of :.uburl:>an-~tylc
homcs look hkc they werc atrhfreJ from
Lus Angclc~. Thts IS where the ~nMII
colon~ uf French live, a5 well a~ Ram-
tc.ms who have prospcred, mosrly m
htgh-paymg civil servicc jobs.
Whm lmie wurbm therc 1~ on Ranncn
occurs mo~tly along tht:. cmt~t.•u Opoa,
Avcra, and Ururoa. Thcrc are a couplc of
small hotcls, S<lmC campgrounJs, anJ a
halfdo:cn pensrons famJIIes (che li1hiti<m
cqlllvalcnt ofbed-and-breakfasr:,}, whtch
provrdc vtsrtors wtth a t~tc of T.1hitian
famdy llfc and cu1sine.
O
NE DAY NEAR thc end of
our stay, thc cloud around
che peak ofOrop1ro pomts
uncrringly coward Fcruna.
Shuttcrs are pullcd down
uvcr cach wmdow. lt 1s rhe -.cart of thc
r.liny sca"m· and the roof spring' h.:.tb
that havc l:>ccn forgonen for mlmtlv...
With cach downpour, c;ml frllm con·
strucnon prOJCCts w,lshc~ .1cross che
l.1goon m a red stam. Along wtth :.dt
from Jredgmg proJcCts, 1t 1s chokmg
much of rhc coral. Tcn ycars ago che
mner reef, a :.hallow shelf of coral near
~horc, was a J'llp·art palcnc of color.
E'cry crevice h1d "<llnC creature. No''
rhere 1:. lmle hving wral lt has been
replaceJ m most pare- uf the rccfby spin
brown ~pongc~. Thl• ~i ru.uIl>!l 1~ berter on
rhe ourer barncr ree(. Turo rake.., us fora
p1cn1c onc Sunday w Natl Nao, a tiny
1slct out by che P•''~•tJ.!C w Jeep w<~ter.
Benearh rhc sca 'ud;Kc, wc fmd a mag·
n1ficcnc rock g;JrJcn nf cor;~l hcad:. and
cxrraordinary (i..,h, !>cmnllaung l1kc fm!·
worb as tht..') dan hcrc anJ thcrc.
The day:. Jnft h. ,mJ CCntu,tlly 1t t:,
(Ime co lea'e. A frc,h-c.ut branch placed
m the roadway rhat ntghr ~~ .1 s1gnal ro
thc prcdawn truck w ~wr (or pa...-.cnger:-.
l ...et rhc alarm on lll) ,Jtch for four
o'clock; wc chcd: our h.tg, onc la~t umc
.mJ rhen ,go m l:>cJ.
In che cari) mornmg JMknt.>,~, we
11plash cold warcr ovcr our bod1cs anJ
have a cup ofNcscaf~. Thc hcaJlighrs uf
che truck swccp amund a curve. Hug~
anJ kisse~ are cxc.h.mgcd. Lmda and l
c.hmb aboan.J anJ lcac Fctuna bchind,
once again rcmcmbcnng rhc old lc~M>n:
Onc of rhe h.lrJc,t rhmgs m rhc t~rld is
ro leà'C French Pnl~ ne''·'· +
Visitors lo lhe home ol Turo andFareka Teiholaala (above) are as likely lo arrive by waler
as by land. During afamlly picnic, lite swings lo ils own Polyneslan rhythms.
70 ISLANDS