The coconut palm: King of the Tuamotus

For visitors to French Polynesia, the characteristic silhouette of the coconut palm symbolizes a vacation in a tropical paradise. At the same time, one should never forget the inestimatable value that Polynesians give this tree. To them it is the king of it’s kind and is often called the “tree of a hundred uses.” While not only valuable for it’s delectable flesh and sweet juice, the coconut palm is also known for its wood, fiber and fronds. These substances are used in arts and crafts as well as to make daily objects, construction and clothing. For this reason, the coconut palm is at the heart of Polynesian daily life, particularly for the Pa’umotu, the people of the Tuamotu Archipelago. Here the people have held on to their ancestral knowledge and still make the most out of the tree – it is a source of life on the fragile atolls. In the Tuamotus, the coconut trees or tumu hakari, as they are known in the local language, surround the inhabitants like pillars which symbolizes the strong link between the people and the tree. To delve into the culture of the Tuamotus is delving into an art of living, built in many ways around the coconut palm, which is a even a symbol of life itself out on these magnificent rings of coral.

© Tahiticommunication – ll rights reserved / Translation: Celeste Brash
© Lucien Pesquie