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Air Tahiti Magazine 54
culture manage their work, and assure them a future. on this subject, father gilbert wrote, "we save their piety and morality while at the same time watching over them to make sure they aren't exploited." laval wanted economic independence for his flock. for this he attempted to modernize and commercialize the industry of oyster fishing to make it more profitable. he encouraged the people to plant manioc and sweet potatoes, and to become specialists as stone workers, masons, cabinet makers etc. he also created weaving studios to make cloth for his congregation. laval truly considered himself to be like a father to the mangarevans. to him, this feeling granted him the right to, or more the duty to, govern the smallest undertakings and acts of the population. he "ordered the type of clothing and hair styles, the way to use combs, brushes and their size, governed sortie de messe a la cathedrale st michel de rikitea / the end of massat st michet cathedral in rikitea the use of perfumes . . . > «les mangareviens reagissent comme des enfants dociles», legislated the use of ribbons on hats, colors and belts." (1) s etonne-t-il. neanmoins, en lisant ses memoires, on a le the father had total authority over the mangarevans and sentiment que laval aime ce peuple et qu il est aime en retour. wasn't bothered if anyone complained. and everyone would envoye de dieu, certain de sa bonne foi, ce qu il decide n est obey him. he exclaimed that "the mangarevans react like pour lui que l expression de la volonte du ciel. il se doit donc de docile children." nevertheless, from reading his memoirs, one veiller a tout, sur tout. il passera 36 ans aux cotes des feels that laval loved these people. sent by god, certain of his mangareviens, les aura tous baptises puis maries. comme des faith, his decisions were not for him but were simply and enfants qu il aurait eleves expression of the goodwill of the heavens. his duty was to watch over everything, and that was the most important. he spent 36 years with the mangarevans, he baptized and laval met en place un «code» de lois performed their marriages - just as children he could have pour regir l archipel raised . . . qui aime bien chatie bien. c est, semble-t-il, la ligne directrice de laval. si l on n obeit pas a ses volontes, il excommunie laval sets up a code of law to govern the archipelago purement et simplement les infideles. etre exclu de la communaute, pour un polynesien, represente le chatiment he who loves well punishes well and this seemed to be the supreme. laval a l autorite spirituelle sur les gambier, et bientot, governing line for laval. when someone disobeyed his wishes, © p. bachet - tahitipresse 28 r e v u e d e b o r d n ° 5 4 / a i r ta h i t i / o n - b o a r d m a g a z i n e n ° 5 4 3 3
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