Heiva Tu'Aro Ma'Ohi
Every July, Tahiti celebrates Heiva Tu’aro Ma’ohi (Heiva: celebration, Tu’aro: sport, Ma’ohi: Polynesian). This event is a tribute to Polynesian culture.
The festival was created in 1881 and has been organized by FATM (Fédération Amuitahira’a Tu’aro Ma’ohi) since 2003. Its main objective is to promote traditional games and sports and pass on an ancestral cultural heritage.
The celebration brings together professional and amateur athletes who compete in various disciplines: javelin throwing, stone lifting, traditional wrestling, fruit-carrier races, coconut tree climbing, copra preparation, and va’a taie sailing races (outrigger canoes with one or two floats).
Athletes train rigorously for months, developing their strength, endurance, concentration, and skill, all in the hope of becoming the champion in their category.
Heiva Tu’aro Ma’ohi brings together participants from the five Polynesian archipelagos, as well as from across the Polynesian Triangle.
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