Tahitian History
pp. 22-23 · Read in the full issue
Marama Of
Moorea
Colourful Chapter of Tahitian History
By W. W. Bolton, Ma
rE Marama of Moorea was a great heiress, rich in both land and power. Whom she should espouse was, in 1820-1821, a matter of grave con cern to many in Tahiti.
The second Pomare’s only son (his second) was but an infant in arms, as had been the first at his death. There was thus no chance for Pomare II to increase his grip on things. The main aspirant for her hand was Tupu (other wise known as Tati II) the son of Tati I, Chief of Papara, on Tahiti.
The old Chief Tati was Pomare’s friend; but the Paparans had never been other than antagonistic; and might later renew the struggle, with such an addition to their strength.
To fortify himself, Pomare arranged an agreement that all children of the mar riage should marry into the now Royal Family of Pomare'.
Three daughters, no son, were born; and the young women had ideas of their own, flouting their parents’ and grand parents’ plans as to their future.
The eldest, Ariioehau, led off by marry ing an Englishman, Alexander Salmon, and to her we owe it to-day that we know the reason of her mother’s high rank, great wealth and power.
UPON Ariioehau’s marriage, she took the native name of her husband (which had been bestowed upon him by Queen Pomare IV upon his first arrival) as her own; an action closely akin to our own fashion of the wife taking the surname of her husband. Her “Memoirs” are a mine of information as to the past. One gathers that in her old age she dictated them, in the first instance, to her younger daughter, Marau, who had acquired a good know ledge of English by attendance at a school in Auckland, NZ.
Those “Memoirs” are in a volume not easily to be secured to-day, the two edi tions of 1893 and 1901 being very limited.
Good fortune, a while ago, placed a copy in the writer’s hands; and this is the story in outline.
Genealogy was ever a strong point with Tahitians and the “Mefnoirs” play up to it in full. Dealing with her mother’s people, Ariitaimai takes her reader across the ten-miles strait, to the neighbouring islands of Moorea, where to-day the main villages are Papetoai, Maharepa, Haapiti and Afareaitu; but, in earlier days there was Nuurua, adjoin ing Haapiti, and its Chief was Punua.
The Chief of Haapiti was the Marama, a name attached to the office.
A SMALL sub-district of the village Punaauia, on Tahiti, was occupied by the Atiroo, whose leaders were relatives of both these Moorean Chiefs.
The Atiroo therefore had the right of hospitality being extended to them at any time that they saw fit, and many crossed over to Nuurua and were kindly received.
A visit of this sort was always a seri ous matter, for such guests might choose to remain permanently, and custom required that land should be given them to dwell on. These Atiroo did remain, but Punua gave them no land. It was from the Marama of Haapiti they re ceived it. As the Marama’s guests they settled down, and, in course of time, spread also into Nuurua. rEN their Chief felt himself strong enough to declare his entire inde pendence of his -relatives, and set up a Marae of his own, instead of having a seat in that of the Marama, in - Haapiti.
This was not only a great insult, but practically a declaration of war. The Marama, at that time, was a woman, and she had no wish to take up the chal lenge. But their next insult created a blood-feud and forced her hand.
Kite-flying was a favourite amuse ment, both of men and boys, even as it is to-day. The Atiroos were to hold a great feast, with flying of kites; and, in a spirit of mischief, four boys of the Marama’s people, the sons of one mother, planned to take part in the kite racing, though uninvited. When, on the feast-day, the Atiroos flew their kites, eagerly watching which flew the best under the strong trade-wind, they saw four kites start up from a neighbouring
hill, more powerful, more gaudy, and faster. These soon caught up with the Atiroos’ kites, and quickly passed them.
The elders present were furious, and gave orders to their young men to follow these outsiders’ kites, note their fall, then lie in wait for their owners, who would surely reclaim them, and kill the daring ones.
The kites flew far. The young men had to cross from their own district into that of Nuurua before those stranger kites fell close to Punua’s Marae. The Atiroos were first on the ground and, when the four boys appeared, they not only slew but savagely mutilated the body. rE Marama went to war. Her lead ing warriors were twins. They led the attack at the break of the next dawn upon the Atiroo nearest to Haapiti, then swept around Moorea, slaying all who had not fled to the hills. Then, still unsatisfied, they crossed to Tahiti, and wiped out those of the Atiroo Clan at Punaauia. Still vengeful, they sought others who were in Lesser Tahiti penin sula, and made such slaughter that the district has been known since that far off day as Teahupoo (a pile of skulls).
As there was once a Helen of Troy in Tahitian history, so was there a Delilah.
The small remnant of Atirooans still left on Tahiti, unable to beat the blood thirsty twins, set a woman to do the job.
The twins fell to her beauty, and her wiles. She spread a feast before them and poured out the kava till they were helpless. Then, when she should have given the word to the hidden force nearby, she hesitated. Her heart refused the deed. She kept her oath to her people; but, with the same spear which slew them, she slew herself. rE Marama’s power grew steadily after this crisis, till it extended over all Moorea, save Nuurua and Afare aitu. By that time, the Marama was a man; and to him, despite himself (which is another story) these two districts were added. The Marama became the Para mount Chief of Moorea.
Little wonder, therefore, that the Mar ama of the Second Pomare’s day was both a great heiress and a prize.
Ariitaimai had, as has been told, flouted her parents’ agreement; but her sixth child, Marau, carried it out in 1875 by marrying a Pomare (though divorced in 1888); and her grandsons, Opuhara and Moti, married the same princess, Terii navahorua, whose children are on Tahiti to-day.
Thus, in some small measure, Pomare’s aim was fulfilled and the Paramount Chiefs of the neighbouring islands were grafted into a single if slender stock.
A handful of direct Pomares still sur vive, of whom Ariipaea, unnoticed entirely by the powers-that-be, is recog nised by all natives as the head, being the son of Prince Hinoi I, who was the acknowledged heir of his uncle, Pomare V, after sovereignty had gone and with it the succession. But the Marama is, of a truth, but a memory of the past.
Mrs. C. P. Purcell, a member of the Pacific Islands Society, escaped from Singapore to Java, but her husband, Captain Purcell, formerly inspector of schools in the State of Johore, was cap tured, while wounded, by the Japanese.
He was then serving with an English regiment. Mrs. Purcell travelled by a tanker to the Persian Gulf, via Ceylon, and is now in Persia. The four members of the Burma Civil Service who were members of the Society while they attended Sydney University have reached India.