Day 5: Culture, Hike, and Night Science

Today, we had the opportunity to educate ourselves about Polynesian culture through experiences that connected history, science, land, and ocean. We visited the Te Pu Atiti‘a Cultural Center on Moorea, a place that holds and shares knowledge passed down from many elders of the island.

At the cultural center, we learned how to make tapas, a traditional cloth made for every child born on the island. A tapa is created by beating fibers from the bark of a breadfruit tree until they become cloth. The child’s umbilical cord is then woven into the tapa. Once finished, the cloth is rolled, placed into a conch shell, and sealed. The shell is dropped deep into the ocean to connect the child to the sea; the deeper it is dropped, the longer the child’s life is believed to be. The child’s placenta is buried in the earth, and a tree is planted above it to connect the child to the island. In Polynesian culture, the air, sea, and land are inseparable, and today we had the privilege of hearing stories that showed how deeply these elements are connected.

We also met and worked with Hinano Murphy, who was previously associated with the Gump Research Station and helped found the Atitia Cultural Center. Gump Station gave land to the nonprofit to build the cultural center, and the two continue to work together to connect scientific discoveries with ancestral knowledge. Hinano also served as one of the cultural consultants for Disney’s Moana, helping guide the film toward a more accurate and respectful representation of Polynesian culture.

Science in Moorea is inherently linked to the culture here because the sea is such an integral part of Polynesian history and identity. It is special to work in a community that cares about the results of our research as much as we do.

We also had the opportunity to learn more about the original settlers of Moorea during a nature hike with a local guide. We visited ancient religious structures that faced Moorea’s tallest mountain, Mount Tohivea, also known as Toheia. While walking through the dense banyan forest, it was hard to imagine that these sites high on the hill were once major vantage points. Before the island was covered with dense forest, these elevated areas allowed people to see all the way to the bay and watch for any threats approaching the island.

Later, we ate lunch at the Gump Research Station, which was also the first place the pHyter successfully made a measurement. The pHyter is an instrument developed by a past student of Dr. Long in the 2010s and made into a working tool for this trip. Our lab now relies on it for field pH and temperature data. We also explored parts of the research facility, including the dive lockers, student dorms, and an open-air wet lab where coral experiments were being conducted.

Gump Station houses master’s and Ph.D. students from all over the world and is owned by the University of California system. Spending the day between the cultural center, the forest, and the research station showed us how closely science, culture, and community are connected on Moorea.

Kiera