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Website: www.illawarramercury.com.au THE WEEKENDER Saturday, February 27, 2010 13....

The remote islands of the Marquesas were once the

font of Polynesian mana but, as RODERICK EIME

writes, they’re not done with yet.

Power of the islands

‘‘A Marquesantattoo is anintricate sagathat adorns aman (orwoman) thatspeaks directlyof their status

Like the people themselves, Marquesan tattoos are experiencingquite a resurgence.

■ Aranui 3 sails year round ona 13-night itinerary among theMarquesas with as many portstops at nine islands.■ Prices start at $7999 for an18-night package ex-Sydneyinclusive of pre- and post-cruise accommodation,transfers and economyairfares. Contact:www.ultimatecruisingcom.au or 1300 662 943.■ Air New Zealand flies toTahiti twice a week viaAuckland and with over 130flights from Australia to NewZealand each week. Contactwww.airnew zealand.com.au orcall 13 24 76.

Trip tips

LOOKING INTO HIS EYES Iwasn’t sure if he wanted to hug meor snap my neck.

Perhaps he was making that verydecision? Teiki Maha’o NuiPahuatini is the undisputed chief ofthe Marquesans - aboard ship atleast, but I expect his influenceextends beyond the gunwales andwell out into his homelands.

Known playfully as Mahalo to thepassengers and his crewmates,Maha’o Nui drives the huge cranethat hoists everything from shippingcontainers to cars and bags ofcement and copra off the deck ofAranui 3 onto the wharf below.

The ship is the lifeline for the 9000residents of the Marquesas, part of

French Polynesia, delivering food,staples and 200 tourists to some ofthe world’s most isolatedcommunities.

Mahalo symbolises many things.Powerfully built, confident andregal, he commands respectthrough sheer presence.Polynesians call this ‘‘mana’’ andMahalo has it in spades.

His glance is enough to send menscurrying away, not one daring toquestion him. His magnificenttattoos, extending all the wayaround his shaven head, wouldmake any Hell’s Angel purse his lipsand draw breath.

‘‘Where you from?’’ he asks me inawkward English.

‘‘Australie!’’ I gleefully announcein equally awkward French and ahand is quickly extended.

He crushes my right hand, nodsknowingly and gives me a subtlethumbs up with the other.

‘‘Come drink!’’ I’m instructed andan icy Hinano beer is thrust into myhand while almost instantly I amsurrounded by his massivehenchmen, all grinning likeCheshire cats and obviously a fewbeers ahead of me.

Michael Koch, an expatriateGerman yachtsman now involuntary exile in Fiji is conductingour culture and history seminars.

‘‘Don’t worry,’’ Michael assuresme, ‘‘I told Mahalo you like beer andwomen and don’t speak French,’’apparently a suite of endearingqualities that instantly earns meanother chilly Hinano.

Sadly it’s true that despite the

Republique francaise providingmuch of the importantinfrastructure and administration,they are not universally admiredthroughout the Marquesas.

Although the Marquesancivilisation was already inpronounced decline when theFrench finally took control in themid-19th century, they oversawtheir almost total annihilationthrough disease and stiflingoverbearance.

Originally populated by as manyas 100,000 thriving Polynesiansbefore European arrival, the sixinhabited islands now maintain apaltry 9000 having dipped as low as2000 in the early 20th century.

The ravaged Marquesan culture,nevertheless, is experiencing aconcerted revival. At each islandvisited, we are feted with song,dance and feasting in a waysomething like the first Europeansmay have experienced before it allwent belly up.

Young maidens danceenergetically to drum beats after thefashion that sent the firstmissionaries scampering for theirrosaries while lean, oiled warriorsconfront us with their ownrecreated haka sending the ladiesinto a spin.

In the little markets intricate andornate carvings are offered innatural materials such as basalt,bone and the much coveted flowerstone - a kind of volcanic anomalythat produces tiny starbursts in themetal. Turtle, manta ray, tiki andwhale motifs dominate.

One of the most prominentfeatures of the revival is literallythere in their faces. As evidenced byMahalo and his crew of playfulPolynesian pirates, the ancient art oftattooing is enjoying such

resurgence that it’s almostimpossible to find a Marquesanman without them.

And not some half-hiddenscribble either, a Marquesan tattoois an intricate saga that adorns aman (or woman) that speaksdirectly of their status. Thoseexamples seen by early explorerswould have almost covered theentire body with intricate and highlysymbolic patterns.

Today’s explorers are still treatedto the sight of the authenticPolynesian tattoo although almostall are now applied with sterileelectric tools instead of thesharpened pig’s bone and stonehammer of old.■ The writer was a guest of UltimateCruising and Air New Zealand.