My Marquesan Tongue
Here we hear the declamation of the first part of Tiatete Ihopu's poem “Te eo enata” (My Marquesan Tongue), which is a tribute to his mother tongue and dedicated to all the elders who passed on his culture to him as a legacy
Here we hear the declamation of the first part of Tiatete Ihopu's poem “Te eo enata” (My Marquesan Tongue), which is a tribute to his mother tongue and dedicated to all the elders who passed on his culture to him as a legacy
The second part of his poem, currently being written, will be addressed to the new generation.
For Tiatete, it's important that his poetry be transmitted both in writing and in declamation. Sound is important. The written word remains.
Tiatete Ihopu is originally from the Tahuata island of Te Henua Enata (Marquesas Islands). He currently lives in the commune of Omoa in Fatu Iva. The poem is in South Marquesan, but he points out that he sometimes uses words from the North to make it more pleasing to the ear. His main source of inspiration is nature and his environment.
TE EO ENATA
Hiti rere mei te Take o te moana
Mehe manukuà ètua Kaiè,
Tani mai toù èo tumu
Hakatu mehe tama fanau hou.
Tavava hua èo i te faè o ATEA MOTUA
Aka oa o te ati ènata.
Ua tani hua èo i te epo fenua,
I te ipu àni, te moana nui, i oto te ati ènata.
Ia feau toù mata i te àni kehukehu tani mai te èo.
Ia hui hui toù mata i te ao atakuà tani mai te èo.
Ia hoe au i te moana ikuiku tani mai te èo.
Ia po au toù mata i ùna te tuaivi taà mai te èo o te tupuna mei havaiki.
Te tupuna te puna, te pepena o te èo o toù èo.
Èo no te Anaunau tetau tini etua,
Èo no te hahi te tupuna, te fenua
Èo no te heva, no te hana,
Èo no te haàèkaèka, no te mave te pohoè.
E hahi nei au tetau tupuna ènata taù i avei i te fenua ènata:
Tau papa anamotua mei NUKU-HIVA, mei FATU-HIVA,
Tau motuakui mei TAHUATA toù fenua tumu.
E moe haàtona nei au i mua o tetau tuhuna èo kakiu
No te èo ta atou i vai mai na taua te tama ènata i tenei ava.
MY MARQUESAN TONGUE
Proud as a royal bird of the gods
Rising from the abyss of the Pacific Ocean,
My native tongue cries out like a newborn,
Spreading through the house of ATEA (Marquesas Islands),
Long root of the ènata tribe.
This language is grounded in the earth, in the vault of heaven, in the ocean
And above all in the Marquesan people.
When I raise my eyes to the sky, this tongue resounds.
When I contemplate my land, this tongue resounds.
When I sail on the ocean, this tongue resounds.
When I close my eyes on the mountain, the language of my ancestors comes from HAVAIKI.
The ancestral source who created this tongue, my tongue.
Tongue to call the many Marquesan gods
Tongue to honor the ancestors and the land
Tongue for funerals and festivals
Tongue for making plans and welcoming life.
I salute the ancestors I meet in the Marquesas:
The elders of NUKU-HIVA, of FATU-HIVA,
The families of TAHUATA, island of my roots.
I pay homage to the ancients masters of the Marquesan language For their tongue which has come to us, the children of the Marquesas.
