Hiva
Oa
The
painter Paul Gauguin came first to Tahiti and then moved on to Hiva Oa
in the Marquesas.
As we were
getting ready to
board the tender to go ashore I noticed these folks.
They were his
descendants. I
was told that the woman holding the flowers is his great-granddaughter.
A small shelter on the
dock carried
this sign.
We were met by this
local band as we
came ashore.
Much better than the
greeting their
cannibal ancestors may have given.
The nose flute is a traditional instrument here in
the Marquesas.
Nancy decorated her hat
with the lei
she was given.
Do you suppose it is
significant that
it was made with tomatoes and basil?
We took the local bus to
visit
Gauguin's grave site.
Next stop was a park
where carvings,
necklaces made from shells, seeds, nuts, and sea urchin spines were
offered for sale.
They also were selling
unmarked
bottles of liquid, some of which were beverage and some skin
care
lotion.
Tattoos were
common. The kids
were about the only local folks I saw who didn't have them.
I learned another string
figure from
this guy.
Apparently the speed
with which it is produced is an important part of the figure.
Interestingly enough it
is called
tattoo.
Dancers again provided
entertainment.
In the old days the
fringes the men
wore on their arms and legs would have been made of hair from their
enemies.
Now they just use
grasses.
Some of us were invited
to join the
dancers.
In the middle of one of
the dances
the leader charged me with his weapon.
I don't know if it was
because he
took offense at me taking pictures of the young ladies or just didn't
like the way I dance.
Afterward all seemed to
be
forgiven. He even let me play the ceremonial horn.
Back at the shore we met
this woman
fishing for dinner. That is bait not catch in her
hand.
Fiberglas outriggers
lined the shore.
Our ship in the harbor.
Here are links to places we visited on this tour. Tahiti, Pitcairn, Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, Fakarava, and Moorea.
And links photos of the eclipse, eclipse
photography, tikis, the ship, young
dancers,
food, fish,
and flowers
and
trees we saw
on the trip.
See
other places we have visited here.
Go
to our Personal
home page
Go to our Community
page
Go
to our Science
Fun page
E-mail Nancy
and
Alan