Steve's Genealogy Blog

My last day in French Polynesia was spent at the Tahiti Pearl Beach Resort in Papeete, Tahiti. I didn’t do much of anything except have a meal, drink a bottle of Hinano (local Tahitian beer), and relax.  Pārahi, Tahiti (Goodbye, Tahiti).

Watching Waves

SOURCE: Watching Waves (Tahiti, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 11 April 2016.

Incoming Wave

SOURCE: Incoming Wave (Tahiti, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 11 April 2016.

The Beach

SOURCE: The Beach (Tahiti, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 11 April 2016.

Tahiti Pearl Beach Resort

SOURCE: Tahiti Pearl Beach Resort (Tahiti, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 11 April 2016.

Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko

Tahitian black pearls are world renowned. On Huahine, there is a single pearl farm that cultures these beauties, the Huahine Pearl Farm. A boat carries visitors from the Sofitel Heiva dock to the farm in the middle of the lagoon near the village of Faie.

To produce a pearl, a donor oyster (Pinctada margaritifera) that has a shell of the desired color is selected. A shell bead and a small piece of the donor oyster’s mantle are inserted into the reproductive gland (pearl pocket) of another healthy oyster. The seeded oysters are then grown for 18 months in carefully constructed wire nets to protect the oysters from predators. I purchased an iridescent black pearl with green highlights. Other pearls had blue, violet, or red highlights. The fourth picture below is a banana flower (Musa sp.) from a plant growing on Huahine.

Huahine Pearl Farm

SOURCE: Huahine Pearl Farm (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Culturing Pearls

SOURCE: Culturing Pearls (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

A Black Pearl

SOURCE: A Black Pearl (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Banana (Musa sp.)

SOURCE: Banana (Musa sp.) (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko

In a river that passes through the village of Faie there lives a population of eels with blue eyes. These eels are considered sacred by the locals and can be attracted by feeding them mackerel. While these eels live in fresh water, they are able to climb up on land, especially if some food is waiting for them there. While visiting the eels, a group of mynas gathered, probably looking for some food, too. The mynas are not native to Huahine. They were imported to help control insect pests.

Blue-Eyed Eel – 1

SOURCE: Blue-Eyed Eel – 1 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Blue-Eyed Eel – 2

SOURCE: Blue-Eyed Eel – 2 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Blue-Eyed Eel – 3

SOURCE: Blue-Eyed Eel – 3 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)

SOURCE: Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko

The beach at Mare Manunu is beautiful, although the rocks and coral make it treacherous to swim in the lagoon here. The map in the fourth photo is on display in the fare pōte’e in Maeva, and it shows the location of Marae Manunu (the rectangle marked “3” at the bottom), the fare pōte’e in Maeva (labelled “17” on the upper right) and the marae in Maeva (Marae Vai-‘ōtaha is “18”, Marae Fare Tai is “19”, and Marae Fare Ro’i is “20”). See my previous posts on “The Fare Pōte’e of Maeva” and “The Marae at Maeva.”

Huahine Beach 1

SOURCE: Huahine Beach 1 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Huahine Beach 2

SOURCE: Huahine Beach 2 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Huahine Beach 3

SOURCE: Huahine Beach 3 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Map of the Maeva Area

SOURCE: Map of the Maeva Area (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko

Being of great historical and spiritual importance on Huahine, the marae are scattered everywhere. Marae Manunu is located on the motu, across from the main marae complex in Maeva. Marae Manunu is dedicated to Tane, Huahine’s god of war and fishing. I don’t know the identity of the spathe flowers in the fourth picture, but they certainly are beautiful.

Marae Manunu 1

SOURCE: Marae Manunu 1 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Marae Manunu 2

SOURCE: Marae Manunu 2 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Marae Manunu 3

SOURCE: Marae Manunu 3 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Spathe Flowers

SOURCE: Spathe Flowers (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko

In January 1846, the inhabitants of Huahine fought a group of French soldiers and sailors of the ship Uranie. The bodies of twenty-four of the dead soldiers and sailors were buried near the bridge that connects the village of Maeva to the nearby motu. Just across the bridge, several ancient fish traps are still in use.

Tombes des Marins de l’Uranie 1

SOURCE: Tombes des Marins de l’Uranie 1 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Tombes des Marins de l’Uranie 2

SOURCE: Tombes des Marins de l’Uranie 2 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Fish Traps 1

SOURCE: Fish Traps 1 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Fish Traps 2

SOURCE: Fish Traps 2 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko

On Huahine, just inland from the fare pōte’e in Maeva, there lies a hiking trail. The trail passes a large mango tree before leading uphill to Marae Tefano. There, at one end of the ahu (altar), a huge banyan tree dominates the scene. The marae itself has been somewhat swallowed by the forest, but the ahu can still be seen.

Mango Tree (Mangifera indica)

SOURCE: Mango Tree (Mangifera indica) (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Marae Tefano from Below

SOURCE: Marae Tefano from Below (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Banyan Tree (Ficus benghalensis)

SOURCE: Banyan Tree (Ficus benghalensis) (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Ahu at Marae Tefano

SOURCE: Ahu at Marae Tefano (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko

Adjacent to the fare pōte’e in Maeva are several Marae. Like the marae on Raiatea, these marae were sacred and social spaces. Each marae includes a row of standing stones and a paved courtyard. The marae served as places for the people and the gods. Sucessively to the left of the fare pōte’e (seen to the far right in the first photo, below), are Marae Vai-‘ōtaha, Marae Fare Tai, and Marae Fare Ro’i. Land crabs (Cardisoma carnifex) make their homes in burrows in the soil of the marae.

Marae Vai-‘ōtaha

SOURCE: Marae Vai-‘ōtaha (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Marae Fare Tai

SOURCE: Marae Fare Tai (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Marae Fare Ro’i

SOURCE: Marae Fare Ro’i (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Land Crab (Cardisoma carnifex)

SOURCE: Land Crab (Cardisoma carnifex) (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko

Maeva was the old capital of Huahine. There, in Maeva, a huge fare pōte’e was reconstructed to house a museum of artifacts unearthed during excavations of archaeological sites in Maeva. The fare pōte’e itself is typical of traditional housing on Huahine, its size reflecting the importance of its inhabitants.

Fare Pōte’e Exterior

SOURCE: Fare Pōte’e Exterior (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Fare Pōte’e Interior – 1

SOURCE: Fare Pōte’e Interior – 1 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Fare Pōte’e Interior – 2

SOURCE: Fare Pōte’e Interior – 2 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Fare Pōte’e Interior – 3

SOURCE: Fare Pōte’e Interior – 3 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko

One of the less visited of the Society Islands, Huahine is a gem that most people never see. Today, I’m just showing some of the beauty of Huahine.

Huahine 1

SOURCE: Huahine 1 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Huahine 2

SOURCE: Huahine 2 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Huahine 3

SOURCE: Huahine 3 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Huahine 4

SOURCE: Huahine 4 (Huahine, French Polynesia); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 10 April 2016.

Copyright © 2016 by Stephen J. Danko