Since Mark and I arrived in the Gambier Islands, the end of
May, the two competing dance groups (troupes) of Mangareva, the main island,
have been practicing for their big local festival in July. Every evening we
were anchored in Rikitea, we could hear the drumming echoing over the bay, from
two directions. We had dinner on Irie with live Polynesian background music, I did
the dishes on the rhythm of the drums and we fell asleep imagining the band and
the dancers, the now familiar beats fresh in our minds. A few nights, while
being on shore in the evening, we checked out the rehearsals and they were
impressive.
The Heiva festivities took place from July 5th
through July 14th (Bastille Day in France and the day the
Polynesians were allowed to start practicing their dances again after years of
them being banned by the missionaries), right behind our boat. The first weekend,
the weather was awful. Mark and I managed to make it to shore for the first
evening, when the dance groups were being introduced. The event happened in a
big hangar, where the impressive sounds were reflected on the walls for an even
more imposing effect. The costumes were a bit weak, but the dancing was great.
The following afternoon, the sun peeked out for a little while. Most cruisers
went ashore for a private performance. One of the groups passed by all the
houses and by a location for the boating crowd, to collect some money. The
festival usually starts with this tradition, called “tapena”, but the weather
was too crappy that first day.
Too much wind and too much rain made us miss out on the Miss
and Mister Mangareva elections. We were all stuck on our boats until the
following Thursday, when the dance competition started in earnest. That
evening, both troupes performed the “Pe’I” dance, a typical Mangarevan dance
where stomping on the ground with the feet is prominent. The dances are long
and depict a story. The stage is decorated with replica huts and other props
for the scenes, bamboo rafts and weapons are carried and the costumes are very
exotic. It was an entertaining evening.
On Friday night, the Polynesian dances “Ote’a” and “Aparima”
took place. The weather allowed both groups to dance and drum outside again.
The costumes were amazing, the drumming fantastic and the performances
incredible. It was a cultural experience pleasing all our senses. Taking
pictures was hard again because of the low light, but we all enjoyed the
performances a lot.
Saturday night, many people stayed home again, because of
the cold and windy weather. In the hangar, the best female dancer, best male
dancer and best couple dancers competed before the jury, as well as both bands.
The effect indoors is very different from outdoors. The participants received a
lot of applause, but the results would not become known until the following
day. It was a short night, so Mark and I still managed to watch a movie warmly
tucked in bed, while Irie bounced around at anchor. At least the wind produced
enough electricity for our needs.
On Sunday, the 14th of July (14 juillet), the
closing ceremony started at 11 am. Together with most villagers, all dressed
up, and cruisers, the sun was present for a few hours. Mark and I rowed ashore
to give ourselves more flexibility in the shallows and heading back out later.
Our sometimes unreliable dinghy engine could get us in trouble with the strong
onshore wind. The female mayor gave a speech and both troupes showed more
dancing and drumming. The award ceremony and prize giving went satisfactory
according to our preferences and tastes; we mostly agreed with the jury. The
event was concluded with free drinks and snacks, while a group of performers
and locals spontaneously started playing music, singing and dancing. This is
the only day in the year that alcohol is not frowned upon, but a real party
never emerged. By 9pm, the Heiva festival was finished. Forget about fireworks.
We have never been anchored so close to shore with festivities going on, while
they were barely noticeable and we could sleep at night!
Being here for the Polynesian festival was great (although
the one in Tahiti would have been more impressive and lively) and not to be
missed, but the weather could have been better. The cost for this cultural
experience – other than some cash to support the groups – was two pairs of
flipflops, which were stolen from our beached dinghy last night. From now on
Rikitea will be different, without the daily sounds of the drumming… and
without shoes!
On the night of the opening ceremony - the presentation of the groups - many spectators received baskets of fruit as a gift
Friday night, both troupes competed with Polynesian dances
Posing with Deny, the very talended and creative leader and choreographer of our favorite group
Pictures of the Sunday closing ceremony:
The important people of the Gambier Islands
From L to R: flags of Mangareva, France and French Polynesia
The mayor (in white) gives a speech
Mark with the cutest puppy in town!
Winning band
One of the two troupes - they won most individual prizes and best male costume
The dancers inviting some locals to join in the dancing
The second (and best) of the two groups
The Polynesian men in action!
Amazing costumes!
Male dancer
Female dancer
Pictures of the spontaneous dancing, drumming and singing of the Mangarevans, after the ceremony:
