The stone court and white standing stone of Taputapuātea marae, open to the lagoon

Polynesian (Māʻohi)

Marae Taputapuātea

Taputapuātea marae

“The ancestral marae from which canoes set out across the great ocean”

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Photo: Octave Fargier · CC BY 4.0

Scenes

A stone court open to the seaKounilig · CC BY-SA 4.0
The marae beside the lagoonOctave Fargier · CC BY 2.0

Meaning

A broad court of low black basalt opens toward the lagoon, and a white standing stone leans back against the sky. Wind off the reef crosses the stone floor, brushing the place from which canoes once set out for the great sea.

On the southeastern shore of Raʻiātea stands a great marae held to be the source from which the faith and voyaging of Eastern Polynesia spread. Tradition holds that priests and navigators honored the god ʻOro here and launched canoes to distant islands, carrying a stone from this place whenever a new marae was founded. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Field notes

Location
Raʻiātea · French Polynesia · S16.8° · W151.4°
Best time
The dry season (May–October), when the trade winds ease and the lagoon light is clear
Getting there
Reached from Tahiti by boat or plane to Raʻiātea, then to the marae on the shore at Opoa.
Etiquette
Regarded as a seat of the ancestors; keep to the marked paths and do not tread on or move the stones.

Sources

  • · UNESCO World Heritage
  • · Encyclopaedia Britannica
UNESCO World Heritage↗Wikipedia↗

Photographs are freely licensed works from Wikimedia Commons and similar sources; the author and license appear beneath each image.