Fenua Mo’a - Hiti Mahana

Group Mehura
Te ʻOri Ora Competition 2024 - Miami, FL
Pupu ʻOri: Hiti Mahana

Our story is inspired by our visit to Raʻiātea island, also known as the sacred isle, the isle of ancient kings, where we visited the Marae of Taputapuātea. From the Te Ava Mōʻa pass, to Moana Nui A Hiva, through the Lagoon and the bays of Opoa and Faʻaora, all the way to the peaks of Mount Temehani, it is home to a place of worship that is important throughout the Pacific. At the center of the Polynesian triangle formed by Hawai’i, Aotearoa, and Rapa Nui, Tumu-raʻi-fenua is shaped like an octopus, FEʻE NUI, with Raʻiātea the head in the middle, and itʻs eight tentacles, spread out over the whole Polynesian triangle, as if to join all the islands together. 

Taputapuātea is the very first Marae said to be built for Taʻaroa himself, the first God of Polynesian mythology, and considered the center for all Polynesian people. In order to build other Marae in other islands, and thus establish power, those who left would carry with them a foundation stone for a new Marae. Therefore, Taputapuātea is the link, the origin and the foundation for the entire Polynesian triangle. Originally known as Havaiʻi, it is considered the homeland of the ancient Polynesians. We descend from you! The children of Havaiʻi welcome you to the land. 

Fenua Moʻa (Sacred Island)
by Taʻiora (translates to Sound of Life)
Author/Composer: Oliver Tissot & Taimoe Temahahe
ʻIa ora na, ʻIa maeva, ʻIa manava ʻia ʻōtou pāʻatoa - Hello, welcome, welcome everyone
Taʻiora ʻA hīmene mai ta ʻoe mau pehe - Taʻiora sings your songs
Taʻiora ʻA hura mai nō teie aruʻi - Taʻiora dances for this evening
Arie hahe, Arie hahe, Arieeee
Mātou teie te mau tamariʻi - We are the children
Tamariʻi no Havaiʻi - Children of Havaiʻi (Raʻiātea)
Fenua Moʻa, Fenua Moʻa - Sacred Island, Sacred Island
Moua Temehani te nohoraʻa - Mount Temehani, the place of residence
O te tiare, Tiare ʻApetahi - From the flower, the Tiare ʻApetahi
Fenua Moʻa, Fenua Moʻa - Sacred Island, Sacred Island
Te Marae Taputapuātea te pū te fenua Māʻohi - The Marae of Taputapuātea, the connection of man to land, the center of Polynesian civilization.
ʻIa ora na, ʻIa maeva, ʻIa manava ʻia ʻōtou pāʻatoa - Hello, welcome, welcome everyone
ʻIa ora na, Ia maeva, ʻIa māuruuru ʻia ʻōtou pāʻatoa - Hello, welcome, we thank you all

Costume
Our ʻahu mehura is 100% made in the fenua. The color white represents the purity of the children of Havaiʻi, as well as the color of the Tiare ‘Apetahi. The accent brown earth tones symbolizes the sacred land. Poe and pārau are all incorporated to accentuate our ʻahu ʻori, as well as our hei taraunu (crown) made of pūpū, worn on our po’o in a perfect circle, meant to signify the center of Polynesian civilization, the Marae of Taputapuātea.