Safeguard the ancestral knowhow of the « fenua » (homeland), such is the message of the “Tamariki Poerani” dance company's production of “Mono'i”, directed by choreographer Makau Foster Delcuvellerie. With the Mono'i, sacred Polynesian oil, rituals and traditions are transmitted and perpetuated. Sole owners of its secret, Polynesians have been using Mono'i  on a daily basis for thousands of years. Tamariki Poerani pays Mono'i a wonderful tribute with this show. Presented at the 2009 Heiva i Tahiti, “Mono'i” won 4 grand prizes: Best Aparima Vahine, Best Ote'a Tane, Best Vegetal Costume, Best Ute Arearea.

The featured Ote'a Amui is the final scene of the “Mono'i” show when the whole company is on stage. It starts with the “tane” (men) then the “vahine” (women) join in. “Amui” means together. The Ote'a is accompanied by percussions: to'ere, fa'atete, tahiri parau and pahu tupai.

Source : Marc E.Louvat

Makau Foster Delcuvellerie spent the first years of her life on the atoll of Hao and was brought up, as customary in those days, by her grand parents. They were very simple folks who lived like their parents, and the parents of their parents before them, to the soothing rhythm of the islands, fishing and foraging. Then she had to go to Tahiti for school and to Hawai'i for a college education.

Whenever you start a conversation with her on that period of her life, she remembers the Paumotu (inhabitants of the Tuamotu islands) whom she says taught her everything and had been living in Hawai'i for the longest time, teaching young Hawaiians the traditions of the South Pacific Islands. Their classes were hard, very demanding for these youngsters who had been brought up according to the “American way of life”. She always seems to get a bit emotional when she talks about these moments. She remembers the pain of the long warm up training sessions when yours body does the talking and tells stories. She didn't learn in the books but from the oral tradition that allowed generations to preserve the knowledge of their ancestors.

« At the age of 16 I was already dancing on stage at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawai'i. For years I travelled the world extensively to dance and finally came back to Tahiti to keep on learning from Coco Hotahota, the famous choreographer and director of the “Temaeva” dance company. Then time came for me to start teaching “Ori Tahiti” (Tahitian dancing) and to create my own dance company Tamariki Poerani  ».

Since then the company has created various productions: "Munanui" (1999), "Merehenua" (2001), "Te ariki Tuohea" (2003), "Mokorea" (2004) et "Mono'i" (2009).
Choreographies by Makau Foster Delcuvellerie have been recreated by different “Ori Tahiti” dance companies in Japan, Mexico and the USA.

Source : The company Tamariki Poerani 's website

More information

tamarikipoerani.com

Patrick Mirakian is a young polynesian TV director, working for “Tahiti Nui Television”, the local TV channel. Asked by Marc E. Louvat, he was in charge of recording Tamariki Poerani's production of “Mono'i”, a piece by Makau Foster Delcuvellerie, during the 2009 Heiva i Tahiti.