Marae and traditions….

A marae is and old place of worship, a Polynesian sanctuary we can find either on the coast or in the inside of the land. Most of the time you have to go through trees regarded as sacred before having the opportunity to discover the secret of this cultural, social and political place of Polynesian society.
A marae is built of a rectangular platform made with dried stones. At one of the end of the site you can find the common element of all marae : the sacred place, the “ahu” in Tahitian language. This altar, which can have several levels and rise up like a pyramid, was mainly dedicated for priests and the “arii” (the leader). In addition we can find the “unus”, sculpture having a human or animal shape that represent the link with the spirit of a God or an elder. The tiki, sculptures fixed at the marae’s entrance have the same function.

Because Polynesian civilisation is more oral than written, it is nowadays still difficult to know the exact sequence of those old ceremonies but we know that sometimes human sacrifices took place.
There are different sizes of marae reflecting a certain hierarchy. The smallest were for families’ local celebrations and the biggest might have been royal marae and gather leaders of several archipelagos to discuss social topics, celebrate Gods or crown a king.
The biggest marae to visit in Polynesia is the one of Taputapuâtea, located in Ôpoa, on Raiatea Island. Possible read : Tahiti in the old times, Teuira Henry (daughter of the missionary J-M Orsmond).

© Picture – Benoit Buquet