The Legends Of Bora Bora

There are many who would say that the legends of a specific culture are nothing more than fairy tales handed down from parent to child, sister to brother, from generation to generation. There are others who would say that the legends told by a particular society are a retelling of the culture's history, altered perhaps throughout the years in the interest of making it more interest but a retelling all the same. Finally, there are those who believe that the legends of a society are just that, legends, myths for all intents and purposes, yet they reveal the fundamental basis of the prevalent attitude of the society pertaining to all important social issues.

Whatever the case may be, it is fact that one cannot truly understand a culture until they have been acquainted with its myths and its legends, its villains and its heroes. This is every bit as true when one is talking about the people of Bora Bora as it is anywhere else in the world. Anyone travelling to Bora Bora, and interested to know what makes its people tick, should take the time to become familiar with the stories that its people have come to cherish.

One of the most well known of the island's myths is the one that concerns its creation; however, there are two viewpoints concerning this. The first states that the first great chief of the island, Firiamata O Vavau, was born when a possessed volcanic boulder, having obtained godly powers, mated with Mount Pahia. He gave the island his name, which means firstborn. (Vavau was the name of the island to the natives until the European explorers came and changed it to Pora Pora, which later became Bora Bora).

Another legend claims that the island itself, which is “known” (as far as science can ever be sure of anything) to have been created as a result of volcanoes rising from the ocean shore, was in fact thrown from the kingdom of Poseidon by the great god himself. Why? Why do the gods do anything?

One of the greatest accomplishments to come from the waters of Tahiti is the black lipped pearl, known as the “pearl of queens”. Although this pearl is formed in the same manner as any pearl, from the capture of sand into an oyster, the legends of the island state that the pearl was first introduced by Oro, the Tahitian god of peace and fertility, rode a rainbow down from his home to offer the people of earth Te Ufi, a special kind of oyster. He then took the black pearl created by this oyster and offered it up as a gift to the princess of Bora Bora to show his love. This pearl is still held in high esteem by the people of Bora Bora.

These are not by any means all of the legends held dear to the island people, nor do they even begin to scratch the surface of the many facets of the history and culture of this fascinating island. Anyone travelling to Bora Bora should make a point along the way of taking the time to study its myths and its legends, and how they relate to society today. It will make for fascinating reading.