When booking my RTW trip, Tahiti seemed liked a once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity. Whereas most tourists come here for a honeymoon or a romantic getaway, I was drawn to these islands as some of the most remote parts of the world with a complex political history. As I learned on my trip to Fiji, South Pacific is much more than just white-sand beaches with turquoise water, tilting palm trees and exotic flowers (although those are pretty awesome) - it is a clash between islanders and colonisers, local and foreign cultures. To this day, French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity, which means the local government has no competence in justice, education, security and defense and services in these areas are directly provided and administered by the Government of France. Even though tourism is growing, the islands heavily rely on funding from Paris for health care, social programmes and infrastructure projects. Even at a brief glance, it is safe to say that the French control the infrastructure, run the hotels and restaurants where wealthy tourists go, own the supermarkets, and therefore they set the prices. The Polynesians occupy lower positions like drivers and receptionists, few of them make it to the better jobs or have opportunities to thrive other than serving the French military. While the French say that the locals are not reliable because of laziness, the circle seems to be vicious with locals having scarce options, to begin with.

      Despite the apparent French influence and flair including ubiquitous baguettes, the Polynesian culture is ambient. For instance, most islanders are tattooed: the practice of Polynesian tattoo is old and well-respected. Back in the day, it used to be a means of membership link or an initiation rite. Later it became a representation of social status and was a way to deliver information of its owner. It’s also a traditional method to fetch spiritual power, protection, and strength. With the arrival of missionaries, tattoos were banned and only got a renaissance in the 1980s, but the techniques and designs still follow strict conventions, which regulate how symbols should be combined to create a meaningful work of art to each person. Another sociocultural peculiarity I was looking for while there but did not manage to come across is mahu or rae rae, biological males who behave and/or dress like women. Or maybe I did see them but was not aware of it? Traditionally, the term “mahu” referred to the transvestite population in pre-colonial Polynesia, who were regarded as neither a man nor a woman, but a highly revered member of a third sex. Mahu shouldn’t be seen as the equivalent of Western homosexuality or transvestism because they’re an integrated part of the wider Tahitian culture. In traditional Tahiti, mahu had their social function to fulfill, often looking after children, fishing for shellfish, gardening, and making bark cloth and mats like women. In modern French Polynesia, some mahu are usually referred to as rae rae if they live on the fringe and have more common with the hormone and silicone-injected Western transgender practices. These people were always considered gifted and divine as they combined the best of both the male and female gender. Mahu communities also have counterparts on other Pacific islands, particularly in Samoa and Tonga.

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