Celebrating a Unified Ethnic Identity: The Tahitian Heiva

Heiva

The cultural celebration now known as heiva was originally connected to the transfer of governance to French authority. Over the decades, it has become focused on Tahitian cultural identity, or la culture ma’ohi. The events at heiva have brought an increase in cultural pride and awareness of Tahitian cultural heritage. Stevenson (1990) found that as a result of heiva, “cultural traditions have been revived, reinterpreted, and even created” (p. 256), thereby helping to instruct Tahitians about their own history not represented in French history books, enabling a conscious distancing from European influence, and honoring what is unique about the culture.

Inside the Heiva

Typically taking place for the entire month of July, the festival includes Tahitian activities: himene, many styles of dance, instrumental ensembles, beautifully handcrafted costumes with natural materials from the island (flowers, leaves, shells), canoe racing, and umu-ti (oo-moo-tee), which is fire walking. Stevenson (1990) found that in 1956, the performer Madeline Moua had “created the first semiprofessional troupe in an attempt to codify the dance, enrich its traditions, and elevate it to an art form” (p. 264). This raised the level of performance, and the competitions then became between professional groups. These troupes can be as large as several hundred members and work throughout the year preparing elaborate performances. In the contemporary heiva, the audience is predominantly made up of locals who experience what Stevenson coined as “staged authenticity” allowing a “forum for situations and spectacles not intended for tourist consumption” (p. 270).

The performance categories include (but are not limited to) the following:

In thinking about how one might incorporate elements of heiva into general music settings, there are many high-quality videos that feature the different categories. Included here are some that I have found to be useful in my own teaching and learning.

The videos can be used for the visual aspect, or for the audio, or for inspiration for creative activities. They can be viewed to inspire discussion, analysis, transcription, and imitation. A general music teacher can construct a series of lessons around the music of Tahiti including listening activities, movement with song, accompanying songs with ukuleles, and perhaps even costume making. During my visit, we made beautiful wreaths to wear in our hair from the flowers growing in the yard of our host. As that is not possible in most situations, artificial flowers can certainly substitute, although minus the intoxicating fragrance.

A Simple Tune for Elementary General Music

It is not easy to find Tahitian song collections with English translations. I have included one here that students in elementary and middle school have enjoyed singing and playing with ukuleles, too. I first found the song Poreho in an out-of-print book of Tahitian songs that I purchased on the aforementioned trip to the island in 1998. The book is in French and Tahitian, so I have spent some time translating the French to help me then translate the Tahitian words, as well as studying the Tahitian pronunciation.

Poreho

Poreho no roto o’e i te miti Shellfish, you live in the sea.

Poh-reh-ho no ro-to o-eh ee teh mee-tee

Ma a’oe na te fe’e You are the octopus’ dinner.

Mah-ah o-eh nah-teh feh-eh

Amu hia o’e te fe’e You are eaten by the octopus.

Ah-moo hee-ah o-eh teh feh-eh

Ana pa na pa mai Your radiance!

Ah-nah pah nah pah mah-ee

To ‘oe apu iti e Your shell!*

Toh o-eh ah-poo ee-tee eh

Pronunciation considerations:

When deciding how to stylize the children’s performance, I listened to countless versions of Poreho in recordings, and in online videos. I found the following set to be the most influential in the version that I eventually decided on for students.

I have used the song with children as young as preschool. I use images with the words to help adhere them to the story in their minds. I typically work on a song over several lessons, so each time we revisit the song we can add in key words. Perhaps the first day the only word they sing is “Poreho,” and we add more challenges with each visit. The song can be paired with a storybook from Tahiti, or neighboring islands throughout Polynesia. Multiple activities can be grouped together for a larger cultural context regardless of the age of the students. For older students in secondary general music, consider a collection of songs with guitar, ukulele, and percussion accompaniment, ² and perhaps composed songs inspired by what they have learned about some of the traditions and sounds popular in Tahiti.

Musical change is an ongoing process, and it started in Tahiti long before the presence of the French and other Europeans (Colson, 2014). By thoughtfully and respectfully integrating music of Tahiti into general music classrooms, we engage in an approach that Colson (2014) described as “the phenomenon of merging and converging cultures” allowing us to focus “not only on the processes of acquisition or loss of cultural features, but also on the creative processes and the emergence of new idioms” (p. 3). This results in a step-by-step process that music educators realize in their classrooms. One song, one dance step, one rhythm, one uke chord, one story at a time will help us get to a place in which “world music” means any music from any country or genre.