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Society Islands Marae Sacred Groves (aoa/banyan)
Tahiti, Moʻorea & Society Islands
French Polynesia
Active (heritage marae)
Regional cluster
- Location
- Tahiti, Moʻorea & Society Islands
- Coordinates
- ~17.6°S 149.4°W
- Elevation
- Valley & coastal
- Size
- Groves around marae temples (varies)
- Age / Founded
- Ancient (pre-European Mā'ohi)
- Status
- Active (heritage marae)
- Deity & Religion
- Ancestral spirits & atua (e.g., 'Oro); Mā'ohi (Tahitian) religion
- Community & Guardians
- Mā'ohi (Tahitian) people
- Vernacular name
- Marae grove (aoa/banyan & sacred trees)
- Record type
- Regional cluster
Cultural practices & uses
Sacred groves around marae (temples); banyan (aoa) & sacred trees as dwelling places of ancestral spirits; ti and breadfruit
Plant species
Aoa (banyan, Ficus prolixa), breadfruit (Artocarpus), ti (Cordyline)
Biome & fauna
Society Islands tropical valley forest
Threats & protection
Marae heritage protection; some restored (e.g., Taputapuātea, UNESCO on Ra'iātea)
Source
Moana Voyages — 'Escape into nature with AOA'; Far & Away — Sacred Tree Walks (Polynesian mythology)