in general, dance costumes from this period, for which there is a trace,either written or otherwise, were made from extremely precious and sought-after materials, such as tapa, for instance, that was worth more than its weight in gold, but also mother of pearland red feathers, that the population had sometimes traveled great distances to procure from their Pacific neighbors. The images we have suggests that frilled overskirts were sometimes added over the tapa. however, the most impressive element of the costume, that was not sewn in any way, was the headdress, a « structure made of hair » (not their own, as the dancers themselves had short hair) created by winding an extremely long plait of human hair -tamauaround the head, this platted cord could be more than one kilometer in length. historians also know that the more (a sort of skirt made out of fine strips of plant fiber) already existed. it had been described in great detail as being used to decorate the fare ‘arioi (built in every district, these open areas were made to accommodate the ‘arioi brotherhood, who travelled from island to island in a large fleet in order to organize the cult of oro, the god of war, but also the patron of artists, athletes and the guardians of performing in ancient times). While these more fringes were described as being elements decoration, it seems likely that they were also worn to fill out the tapa skirts and maybe even alone for certain dances. it may also be the costume piece that added a sexual dimension to the dances, the male and female dancers wore g., se Ce- VENTE EH LIGNE  : or.:-Iolsonciukif.atfoi.corn-f,. CULTURE nothing underneath their costumes, and both male and female dancers did a pā’oti, a scissoring of the knees open and closed, a dance move that was later performedexclusively by men ! if this were the case, it might well explain the relative silence that surrounds the more in occidental writings … The renaissance of traditional song and dance Before the establishment of the French Protectorate in 1842, Tahiti, which had recently been unified under the domination of a single family, the Pomares, who had been greatly influenced by the missionaries of the london Missionary society, who had been installed there since 1797. Thanks to the support of this reigning Tahitian family, Protestantism was rapidly spread throughout the population, replacing the traditional beliefs. in 1819, when the majority of Tahitians had already converted to Protestantism, Pomare ii established a first Tahitian code of law, under the influence of the missionaries. This Pomare code imposed the wearing of clothes that covered the entire body. it also outlawed tattoos, flower adornments as wellas song and dance, all traditions considered to be lewd. even the act of travelling to a celebration was banned. Par-cl Par-Là Papeete L LIVRAISON GRATUITE DANS LES ÎLES HÔTELS, PENSIONS, MAISONS D'HÔTES fabrication sur commande rit' de -2 Linge de Maison et autres petits riens.., TiFeCd. C1,401c1C. riehmlam. Iffle {4}.'TéL.  : 40 450 050 -.É ; 1 ! 17-..c kr7j117r. ; lAAt.1 r  : › nam.10.11 69