Tabu
The ancient Polynesian customs were deeply affected by religions that catered to magic. These religions gave way to the term “tabu”, which meant “forbidden” or “off limits”. While some anthropologists think that “tabu” or “taboo” is a religious phenomenon that was used to name the negative side of the religion, others believe that it was simply a way to explain some of the oddities in nature. This second way of looking at “tabu” is due to the fact that in ancient Polynesian society, anything that was not ordinary, i.e. Twins, albinos, or double fruits, were considered “tabu”. Now, the term “taboo” is used when one means for someone else not to cross something. This piece of information will be helpful to you on treks and hikes, due to the fact that there are small signs all over the islands that are marked “tabu”, which means “private property” in Tahiti. Native Tahitians have a very high amount of respect for all of the sites around their islands, including the ancient religious sites that are still found throughout the islands. No stones, Tikis, or other parts of any of the maraes or other sites are allowed to be moved, as they could have had a “mana” or magic placed on them and will curse anyone who has removed or moved any thing from these sites. So, when you are here visiting, make sure that you take special care not to move or take anything from these sites.
Maraes
Tahiti's maraes, or pre-missonary places of worship, are a great place to view some of the earliest Tahitian culutre. These places were used to pray, worship, sacrifice, and hold rituals of all sorts to the Tahitian Gods who protected the islands. Although now, most are condensed to a small area, piled with rocks, your guide will be happy to show you where they are and explain what each area was used for.
Firmly embedded in the Polynesian legends, are the ancient Gods: Taaroa, Tane, Tu, Oro, and Hiro. These Gods were very adventurous and legends and stories are still told about them today. While there are no ancient texts that survived about these Gods and ancient Tahitian religious practices, the oral traditions still thrive and there are many maraes around the islands for you to visit while on vacation here.
At these maraes, the Tahitian Gods were worshiped and other major decisions about the society were made here as well. While there are different types of maraes, religious maraes, family ceremonial maraes, and even royal maraes, they all had one purpose in mind: to bring people together for ceremonies, worship, or celebrations. Usually these maraes consisted of a flat area, paved with stones that were bordered by short walls of stone. Some had steps that led the person to the paved area, and some did not, it all depended on the size, shape, and location of the marae. In the center of the paved area stood an area that was reserved for the priests only. In another area of the platform were standing stones that were used as back rests for the cheifs who were present.