https://www.metacafe.com/embed/11855170/nuku-hiva-dancing/

Click the click above to watch the video!

Even before we set off across the Pacific, we had already heard rumors about the amazing dance teacher, Fabienne, who welcomes everyone community centre at the library in Taiohae, Nuku Hiva. Her reputation beckoned us to put this anchorage high on our list of must visits.

When we first arrived in Nuku Hiva way back in June we were charmed by the village with its lovely waterfront, all the tikis and flowering trees, the friendly, smiley people and the sense of community. As we were making our plans for the coming season we agreed that we would enjoy spending some more time in this place. We first met Fabienne at a fund raiser at the school back in June and she led us all through an hour of dancing and I was hooked! She is such a gorgeous and graceful dancer and her enthusiasm is electric. I dream of learning a tenth of her posture and fluidity not to mention those hands! She can tell a story with one hand movement, the angle of the wrist and way she moves an arm or ankle. I remember as a young girl being completely wowed by the dancers we saw in Hawaii on family vacations, and the lessons here reminded me of that grace and energy.

Two and a half months before the performance 

Fast forward six months and we were waiting for dance lessons to resume after the Christmas break. We ladies looked forward to Wednesdays and Fridays when we went to dance class and tried to teach our hips new tricks. Fabienne would patiently show us the moves, correct us and rearrange body parts, encourage and scold us all in French or Marquesan. We loved to earn her smiles and hear her magical whoops of delight and of course I learned to count to eight in French. I like to think we amused her and really hope we made her at least a little bit proud.

Two weeks before the performance 

And then one day at the end of January we were invited to dance for an audience at a Valentine’s Day fund raiser. I was so unsure because I am not a dancer and I didn’t want to make a fool of myself, but more importantly knowing how their dance is integral to the community and I was concerned I would commit a social faux pas by not doing a good job.  At the same time, I realized it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we ladies encouraged each other and when we committed to it we never looked back. The first week of February Fabienne called us into daily sessions and we learned the first half of the routine. We worked hard but it was not sticking and there were lots of things to work on especially transitions. First we would nail the steps but then had to add the arms and then there was the transition to the next move by which time the hips were forgotten, somehow we could master only two of those crucial things at any given time. 

One week before the performance 

We set up extra practice sessions on the beach on the weekends with other girls who knew the routine. Three hour sessions on both Saturday and Sunday calmed my nerves and I felt a lot better. We got lots of attention from locals passing by and using the beach and they seemed amused and smiley that we were learning traditional dance moves. We got enthusiastic hollers and thumbs up and since everyone knows everyone here, I am pretty sure Fabienne heard about how hard we were working.

The second week called for two lessons a day, morning and evening. We still had to learn the second half and only a week to do it, and it was harder than the first half we worked so hard on. And even the advanced group showed signs of jitters. Everyone was practicing in small groups before and after scheduled rehearsals and lots more practice. Plus some girls dropped out and others showed up and wanted to join in so there was a lot of shifting and rearranging in addition to the new moves. The second week zoomed by and all of a sudden we were practicing our entrance and exit and all of a sudden it was very real. 

The day before the performance 

We practiced before and after the official practice sessions and I bet the people working around the library were sick of that song! Time zoomed by and it was Friday before we knew it and we were being fitted for our grass skirts! It was exciting to try them on and the feel of them was divine. I was exhausted after those final rehearsals. I fell asleep with visions of grass skirts dancing in my head.

The morning of the performance 

Saturday morning was an early start with Fabienne trimming our skirts (with kitchen scissors just above the knees) before the dress rehearsal in the town hall. It felt like our hard work paid off because the grass skirts give instant feedback if you are indeed moving your hips! We practiced our routine including the entrance and exit a few times. There were a dozen people working away hanging decorations of construction paper crepe hearts in red and pink and setting tables with the ever present Polynesian fabrics. We were very excited and a few of us worked together oiling our skirts and shredding the individual leaves for maximum movement. We got help from the girls who did the same routine earlier. 

Two hours before the performance 

There was a whole lot of giggling and chattering going on. We met early for some light practicing before we met everyone else to get ready. It felt amazing to adorn ourselves with skirts belts and collars of grass and palm fronds and then of course our crowns of flowers, the crowning glory! I was giddy and excited and the other girls were also preparing so there was a wonderful buzz back stage. We got such a treat as that night, the men’s group were dancing as well. The Haka dancers were first to perform and were definitely a highlight. Their performance is raw and energetic similar to a Maori of New Zealand with drumming and chanting and they grab everyone’s attention and don’t let it go. We often hear them on the shore and it is always a treat, but it was extra special to be viewing it behind the curtain as we waited for our turn backstage. Next came a few performances from the advanced group in traditional full length, floral dresses and finally it was our turn. Even though we had been peeking at the performances from back stage it is a different feeling completely to be standing there. 

The performance 

Finally it was our turn. I had massive butterflies but then the music started and it was FUN! We danced our hearts out and it was over in a flash. Even though I was concentrating hard and remembering our steps, I managed to spot the reactions of our people with pride in their eyes andirons was wonderful. Fabienne was grinning from ear to ear as she sat on the floor giving us cues. And the expressions on the faces of the local grannies were priceless. They seemed to enjoy watching us as much as we enjoyed the dancing and as we performed moves we had to work particularly hard on, they squealed. It was a truly wonderful experience and my cheeks hurt from grinning. We got lots of praise and the kids rushed backstage to tell us how wonderful we were. And Jon is lovely worked hard on a video, hope we manage to share it and you have the chance to check it out.

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I was never going to get a tattoo, they really held no appeal, and as a wise friend of mine once said ‘they are a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling’. Who’s to say that in a year, two years or ten years time that feeling isn’t relevant anymore and you are stuck with something you regret?

But what if that ‘temporary feeling’ is something that you really must not forget, but one that is easily lost in the daily hustle and bustle of everyday life? Surely then a physical reminder, something you see everyday, serves a higher purpose. I think it does. So now I have a tattoo. More accurately I have a Patutiki which is the Marquesan word for a tattoo!

The idea came up when we first arrived in the Marquesas and we met with friends and fellow cruisers who had the most amazing tattoo on her back. A full manta ray, created from intricate traditional patterns. She spoke of an excellent artist ashore who not only created the art on her back, but literally wrote the book on the subject of traditional Marquesas tattoo. A month later Mia gave me said same book for my birthday, it makes for an interesting read as it talks about the history, how it was banned by the church and ultimately rediscovered in the 1970s. It also provided a ‘dictionary’ for what each of the symbols meant. I said to myself that if we returned for the cyclone season I would talk to him about a tattoo.

We turned up just after Christmas but unfortunately Teiki (the author and artist) was away on vacation with his family, so I waited for his return. In that time I read through his book and tried to identify the symbols which had significance for my life, family and our current adventure. So with cheat sheet in hand I went to talk to him. He was very friendly and we talked for a while, I gave him my list of ideas and we talked about where to put the tattoo. The obvious choice was between shoulder and leg – after a bit of thinking I picked leg.

I agreed to show up at 9am on Friday morning and Mia and Teo were keen to tag along. When we got there Teiki handed me a orange disposable razor and told me to go around the back and shave my leg, but be careful, if I cut myself he can’t tattoo that area! I have to admit, I now understand why ladies prefer to shave in the bath than standing in the shower, it’s harder than it looks! 

Back in the room, freshly shaved, we talked more about styles before I finally got up on the table for him to start marking up my leg with red and blue pens. He outlined the rough form for the tattoo before I lay down and he worked on the details. It took about an hour for him to product a pen only version, we discussed it over a cup of coffee and agreed a minor alteration, switching one symbol for another. Then it was time to use the real ink!

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It took about 4 hours of inking, between 10:30 and about 14:30 with only a couple of short breaks to stretch my back. The pain was unusual, it wasn’t like getting an injection which some had told me, it was more like getting scratched, repeatedly, by a slightly blunted knife. At first it was OK, but after several hours my skin was getting bore and tired for the pain and even wiping my leg with a sterile wipe was painful. I’d also been told that getting large areas of black ink filled in was the most painful part, personally I found the fine detail work with a very thin needle to be worse. Teiki just smiled and explained that the women he tattoo’d claimed it was about the same as ripping a wax strip off your leg hairs. I guess I’m complaining about nothing!

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Mia and Teo popped back occasionally to check on the progress, in between they kindly walked the two miles up the hill to the pharmacy to get the antiseptic liquid and baby bottom cream he recommended for the week after while it was healing. A local guy, covered in tattoos popped his head in at one point, smiled and returned with a local flower for me. He didn’t speak any english but I’m hoping it was meant as ‘welcome to the community’. 

While Teiki was working, we chatted a bit about the history of tattooing and his work trying to catalog and create a dictionary for these symbols. He was frustrated that the Marquesan style was being taken by artists in Tahiti and sold as ‘Tahiti style’ tattoos rather than Marquesan. It would seem that the traditional styles from the society islands have been lost in time and were never documented. For most of the historic documentation we Russian research ships to thank, over 200 years ago.

Below are some images which explain the means behind each of the symbols.

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