Page 20 - French Polynesia

urthermore, Tahiti continues to at- ing and teaching programs, as well as a
F tract immigrants from other islands
and island groups. It is thought that in
1970, of the 150,000 inhabitants of French
Polynesia at least 100,000 were Tahitian
speakers, while other native languages
are slowly being replaced by Tahitian or
French. Although English is now spoken
by many shopkeepers, hotel employees
and students, tourists would find it useful
to come equipped with some command of
either French or Tahitian. Tahitian’s closest and banned both in the classroom and
relatives include Hawaiian, Maori, Mar-
quesan and Tuamotuan; other Polynesian
languages such as Samoan and Tongan are
also quite closely related.
F ormal education is mandatory in Tahiti
for every child up to the age of four-
teen. Primary education begins at five and
continues until the age of twelve, when
secondary education begins. There are
several technical and vocation schools in
Tahiti including hotel, restaurant, nurs-
equality was that women were allowed
large adult education program. Ninety-five
percent of the population is literate. Even
though schooling in French Polynesia has
been conducted entirely in French, using
the same syllabus as schools in France for
most subjects, as late as 1962 almost half
of the population claimed that they were
able to read and write only in Tahitian. This of the region indicate that the Marquesas
high literacy rate attests to the importance
of Tahitian in everyday life, especially if
we remember that Tahitian was forbidden
in schools for both teachers and pupils,
during recreation. This Tahitian literacy is
maintained in adult life mainly through the
writing of personal letters and the reading
of religious texts.
T he role and status of women in relation
to men varies between island societies
in Polynesia. In the Marquesas, women have
always enjoyed a status nearly equivalent
with men. One traditional indicator of this
tattooing almost as extensive as that of
men. In many other Polynesian socie-
ties, this was not the case, as women held
positions of lower status than men. Most
traditional Polynesian societies rely on
fishing and horticulture (growing flowers,
fruits, and vegetables). European accounts
Islands were unique in their reliance on
breadfruit, a large starchy fruit native to the
Pacific islands. Taro root is another impor-
tant foodstuff in Polynesia. Early Hawaiians
relied on taro as a staple starch in their diet.
In some parts of Polynesia—Hawaii, Tahiti,
and the Marquesas in particular—men and
women used to eat separately. In general,
this pattern is no longer followed except
in the most traditional communities and in
certain ceremonial contexts.