1. The Tahitian Culture
By: Justin Cheng

2. Origins
 Tahiti is estimated to have been settled between
AD 300 and 800 by Polynesians
 These Tahitian settlers are believed to have sailed
from Fiji, Samoa, or Tonga.
 Tahiti is the biggest island in French Polynesia

3. A Closer Look

4. European Contact in the 1700s
 Samuel Wallis, an English sea captain, sighted Tahiti
on June 18,1767, and is considered the first European visitor
 Wallis was followed in April 1768 by the French explorer
Louis-Antoine de, completing the first French
circumnavigation. Bougainville made Tahiti famous in Europe
when he published Voyage Autour Du Monde.
 James Cook later visited the islands to view the Transit of
Venus in April 1769.
 After European contact and exploration died down, the
Tahitian population died down from 35,000 to 16,000 all the
way to 6000 at one point.
 This was all due to guns, prostitution, venereal disease,
alcohol, Christianity, and diseases such as typhus, influenza,
and smalllpox.

5. Tahiti in the 20th Century
 1946-Tahiti and all of French
Polynesia becomes a French
overseas territory.
 Paul Gauguin, a famous French
painter lived in Tahiti in the 1890s and
painted many Tahitian subjects.

6. Who are the Tahitians?
The indigenous Tahitians are of Polynesian
ancestry comprising 70% of the population
alongside Europeans, East Asians, and many
mixed families.
Ultimately, the Tahitian population today is a huge
melting pot of many different races and ethnicities.

7. The Early Tahitians
 Early Tahitians lived off the land
 Lived in clans, each with roles to help
the community as a whole
 Were expert fishermen and craftsmen
which both skills helped in trade.

8. Tahitian Culture and Life in Tahiti
Today
 Still live off the land
 Very French influenced in culture
 Tourist flooded in some places
 Ancient culture is still preserved today
 Most Tahitians speak multiple
language including French and their
ancient dialect of Tuamotu.
 There are approximately 262,000
residents of Tahiti

9. Tahitian Culture Today
 Heiva I Tahiti
 Tahitian Dance/Music
 The City
 My experience there

10. Tahitian Culture outside of Tahiti
 Tahitian Dance has spread here, Mexico,
Japan, and many other countries.
 Polynesian Tattoo has become very popular
here as well.
 Boating sports and Music are also
becoming very popular all over the world.

11. My Personal Experience with
Tahitian Culture
 Dancing and Music
 Art
 Benefits of Dancing
 Competing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOgt-Xf084Q&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GUtT1vD2HE

12. Mainstream Tahitian Culture
The only pieces of Tahitian Culture that
has passed into the states is the
dance, music, and art.

13. Music
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PX
3VNG6C6I&feature=related<htn
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU
QuI8qu8Rg<nonosina
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge2
wXP5hJ9I<heikuranui

14. Modernization/Traditional styles
of Tahitian Dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPNYJxD2gCk<poerani
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWZIIzt8XBw&feature=related<manui
a
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D5dKmM-oww<nonosina

15. Is Modernization of Tahitian
Culture Destroying the Tradition?
In my opinion, because of the modernization
of Tahitian dance and music in the states,
many groups in the States are not keeping the
culture. Even in Tahiti, some groups are falling
out of tradition and falling in to the modern
Tahitian dance hype. So yes, modernization is
destroying the tradition, and only few groups
are still around to keep the tradition how it
should be.

16. Manuia:
The Keepers of Tradition
 Personally, my group has been one of
the few groups, maybe the only group
in Tahitian dancing that has been
keeping the real culture alive in the
United States.
 As a group, we give the audience a
show of real Tahitian Culture, trying to
persuade them to favor traditional
dancing rather than the modern.

17. Future of the Tahitian Culture
 What I hope for it
 Tahitian Culture expansion
 How fast it has been expanding

18.  http://www.villavahimanui.com/MH%20PAINT%20TAHITIANS%20320.JPG
 http://www.truetahitivacation.com/images/tahiti_world_map.jpg
 http://en.tahitipresse.pf/wp-
content/blogs.dir/2/files/2010/03/03252010210047306037C112359.jpg
 http://www.lilithgallery.com/arthistory/postimpressionism/images/1894-
PaulGauguin-Nave_Nave_Moe-Miraculous_Source.jpg
 http://www.janeresture.com/oceania_people/TAHITI%20FRANCE%20POLYNESI
A%20FISHERMAN.jpg
 http://www.tahiti-tourisme.com/gallery/photos/big/Hotels/Hotl01.jpg
 http://flagspot.net/images/p/pf.gif
 Suggs, R.C. "The Derivation of Marquesan Culture." Royal Anthropological
Institute of Great Britain and Ireland n. pag. Web. 26 Jul 2011.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/2844464?seq=9>.
 Crocombe, R.G. "French Polynesia: a book of selected readings." Institute of
Pacific Studies of the University of South Pacific (1988): n. pag. Web. 26 Jul 2011.
<http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr&id=S8MUAJa-
q2cC&oi=fnd&pg=PA32&dq=tahitian+culture&ots=BOi_lWmoR2&sig=EVObG_Bu
LJ_w9D4x4Dzi7dXfuWg#v=onepage&q=tahitian%20culture&f=false>.
 Kuwhara, Makiko. "Dancing and Tattooing the imagined Territory: Identity
Formation at Heiv and the festival of Pacific Arts." JCAS, 2006. Web. 26 Jul 2011.
<http://0-
scholar.google.com.opac.sfsu.edu/scholar?hl=en&q=heiva+i+tahiti&btnG=Search
&as_sdt=0%2C5&as_ylo=&as_vis=0>.