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Garden Story

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Wed 21 Aug 2013 22:37

A Rite of Passage in Les Jardins D’eau De Vaipahi

We stopped at the botanical gardens and found the admission was free, we also found an information board with an interesting story to follow through the garden, of how a chief or high priest ‘went to the other side’ on an interesting journey.

We had a plan to follow.

A picture guide to follow.

1 In yesteryears, when a noble or prestigious person died, the body was laying in a fare tupapa’u. It was internally treated with mixtures made of plant and oils in order to draw fluid from the body. When it was completely dehydrated, it was rubbed and embalmed with oils, plants and wrapped in a tapa cloth. Then the body was placed in a remote grotto, with some objects showing its form.

BF Car Tahiti 007

2 Vaipahi-i-Atehiti was the compulsory stop on the long purification path of the departed souls of the Teva clan, to Rohotu-No’ano’a. Te’ura-i-Hamano welcomed the entity sitting on her expertise rock in the middle of her tiered sanctuary Ahu-rau (multiple altars). Inspired by the mana from her rock, she assessed seriousness of impurities, faults, vices, sins and crimes tainting the soul and advocated a physical purification path in the sacred waters or moral on the steeped path of To’ahiti or both.

3 Following meticulous directions and incantations of Te’ura-i-Hamano, the spiritual entity was plunged into the quivering waters of Vai’o’o, thus beginning the purification journey. Light and humble after the bath, it was cleansed from the stains of its life by the mighty breath of the gushing waters of the Vaipahi waterfall.

4 Following the Mighty waters, wrapped in perfumed and soothing Maire-rau-ru’I leaves, the spiritual entity walked with To’ahiti who welcomed and guided it on the steep and remote dark areas of inland. It gave the soul courage, will and boldness. It helped it in its moral purification for cleansing its past faults, anxieties, hate and various bitterness.....

The entity freed itself from its weaknesses and became almighty, courageous and voluntary. Mataiea made this mythical path a virtual sanctuary and first amongst the marae of the district, superimposed to Vaipahi and sung as follows:

Taturu To’ahiti ‘ia pa fa roa

E marae no to ‘iu ai’a

To’ahiti, helping and soothing weaknesses

You are the sacred temple of my homeland.

5 Back from the energising summits, the entity cleansed from its external taints, took the second compulsory path, to the souls’ purgatory spring, There began the introspection rites.

From spring to spring, the bubbling water, purified by the eared eel, cleansed internally the entity, it faced its deepest darkness, shouting its most intimate pains, soothed and revived by the endless swirls of the springs. These pains frightened the living person lost on the path of the suffering soul.

Only one man, Te-toa-nui-ra-e, a fearless warrior, kept watch with his bow at the top of Maremo. He listened to wails and cries of the spiritual entities, preventing the weak to fly.

6 Now pure, transparent and ethereal like Atehiti waters (purity/gushing brightness), the spiritual entity begins its restoration step, dipped in brakish and conserving seawaters just under the springs. A chrysalis comes out of its Maire-rau-ri’I cocoon, free from taints, rising in state of grace and flying to Te-Paepae for comfort and rest.

7 The departed entity wakes up and stretches slowly.... Dignified and immaculate, Te’ura-i-Hermano leads it to the last bath, a rinse in the clear and refreshing waters of the Vaipahu waterfall, baby sister of Vaipahi. A nice butterfly shakes itself and rises over the multicoloured waters, it flies with a light heart towards Te-rua-mo’o (cave of the lizard).

8 From Maremo, Te-toa-nui-ra-e, the warrior looks the regenerating and rebirth rites to eternal life of the spiritual entity. A prisoner within the dark entrails of mo’o (mythical creature, symbol of eternity), terrifying warden of the doors of the world of origins, the entity struggles against its own demons. Tirelessly it fights until the victory, killing the “beast”, shouting its superiority over its own obscurantism, transcending its vulgar human condition, for another life.

9 Te-toa-nui-ra-e, looks the departed soul of the Teva clan about to leave this world. It rises, cleaned, performed, forgiven, strong, rejuvenated, towards the famous Tata’a point (in the commune of Faaa) in the Va’a Hiva of Tefana-i-Ahura’I where it has to fight some more on its journey to Te-Rohotu-No’ano’a, mythical garden of delights.