Publication of the Ā'ai nō Vāvau collection — Legends of Bora Bora
On 13 May 2024, the Direction de la Culture et du Patrimoine (DCP) of French Polynesia published the collection Ā'ai nō Vāvau — Legends of Bora Bora — in a trilingual edition in Tahitian, French and English. This booklet brings together ten stories collected and written by Edwin Onee Tupu, poet and memory-keeper born in Bora Bora in 1953, who had entrusted the entirety of his work to Te Fare Hiro'a nō Vāvau.
Illustrated by Evrand Chaullay and Mataitai, this collection is distributed in the island's schools and made available to the general public through the DCP.
"Edwin Onee Tupu placed his work in the hands of a cultural, social and environmental association of Bora Bora, Te Fare Hiro'a nō Vāvau, so that it may share this intangible cultural heritage with as many people as possible." — Ā'ai nō Vāvau booklet, DCP May 2024, page 5
These stories are not simple folkloric curiosities. They map the relationships between the island's inhabitants, the lagoon, the winds, the stars and the deities — ten windows open onto the living memory of Vāvau.
The ten stories of the collection
- 'Aere — Infinity
- Te Anuanua — The Rainbow
- 'A'ai iti no Vairoina — The Small Legend of Vairoina
- Te 'Ati ō Mātahi Mā — The Misfortune of the Mātahi Family
- Pere Atua Vāhine ō te Ahi — Pere, Goddess of Fire
- Te Pahu — The Footed Drum
- Te Tautai Tāora i Mā'ai-Ava-Porapora — Stone Fishing
- Te Māta'i — The Winds
- Te Motu 'Ōio — The Island of Black Terns
- Te Reo — The Language