Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 7, 1 July 2005 — RAINBOW WARRIOR [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

RAINBOW WARRIOR

Pro-independence Tahiti president Oscar Temaru stars at New York film festival

By Manu Boyd Amajor hurdle in achieving political sovereignty for the native people of Te Ao Maohi (French Polynesia) was cleared with the confirmation of independence advocate Oscar Manutahi Temaru as the nation's president in March. Temaru's contentious rise to power brought an end to the 20-year presidential tenure of Gaston Flosse, a close friend of French President Jacques Chirac. The 118 islands and atolls that comprise Te Ao Maohi have been colonized by France for more than 150 years. At the Paeihka Film Festival held in New York in May, the world premiere of a 50-minute documentary on Temaru's difficult poliheal journey was a standout among the more than 30 films from Hawai'i and the Pacific that delivered warmth, compassion and insight from Polynesia to chilly Manhattan.

Produced by Maori filmmaker Robert Pouwhare of Aotearoa, Te Toa Aniwaniwa: The Rainbow Warrior - A President In Ihe Making brought those in attendance to their feet to applaud Temaru, who was in the audience. The film documents the tumultuous political climate surrounding Temaru's presidential election, from his inihal ballot victory in June 2004 to the controversial no-confidence motion that removed him from office several months later to his subsequent triumph in his March re-election. Although Temaru's party supports breaking away from the islands' colonizer, it is not his immediate priority. Instead, he says, his main goal is to uplift his nation's native people. Some of his first steps toward

this objective have been small but poignant. For example, he has cast aside the colonizer's moniker for his homeland (French Polynesia) for the more culturally appropriate Te Ao Maohi (the native realm). In interview excerpts throughout the film, Temaru expresses his aloha for his Maohi, or native people of Tahiti - the largest island in Te Ao Maohi - and his strong opposition to such eolonial transgressions as the decades of nuclear testing by France on the island Moruroa. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs sponsored a reception in honor of Temaru following the New York debut of Te Toa Aniwaniwa. Ho'okupu were presented to the modern-day ali'i including mele, oli, lei, a kamani wood 'umeke and two books on Hawaiian history and culture: Holo Mai Pele by Pualani Kanahele and Ke Kwnu Aupuni, the historical account of King Kamehameha I written in 'ōlelo Hawai'i by Samuel Kamakau. Also among the 1 00 in attendance were Congressional Rep. Eni Faleomavaega from Sāmoa, a delegation of Māori, Temaru's eldest son and many Hawaiians, including former OHA Trustee Mililani Trask, kumu hula Cy Bridges and scholar Lilikalā Kame'eleihiwa. Also premiering at the festival was The Hawaiians: Reflecting Spirit, the Edgy Lee film commissioned by OHA. Lee attended the festival and was among the many guests at Temaru's reception. In all, the festival was a coming together of Polynesian "cousins" that brought out the very best in protocol, mutual respect, le'ale'a (good fun) and lots of aloha.

Hawaiian scholar Lilikalō Kame'eleihiwa, Te Ao Maohi President Oscar Temaru, U.S. Congressman Eni Faleomavaega and his wife shared a moment at the P0Cifika Film FestiVOl. Photo: ManuBoyd