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Air Tahiti Magazine 56
culture non seulement la pirogue est un symbole culturel de chez > today, the tahitian va'a federation has around 5,060 members nous, mais en plus, c est un sport agreable et collectif. in 191 clubs across the five archipelagos of the country. "but we estimate that there are over 30,000 people who row," voila pourquoi elle a autant de succes > l intuition et la vision de quelques pionniers se sont donc revelees exacte, et leurs esperances ont meme ete depassees. cette activite traditionnelle, necessaire dans les temps anciens, a retrouve sa place dans la societe polynesienne moderne comme pratique sportive populaire, mais egalement sport de haut niveau. aujourd hui, la federation tahitienne de va a compte environ 5 060 licencies pour 191 clubs, repartis a travers les cinq archipels polynesiens. «mais on estime a plus de 30 000 le nombre de sympathisants de la pirogue», affirme fabrice burlin, passionne de va a et editeur du magazine «va a tahiti». loin d etre un simple phenomene de mode, cet engouement pour la pirogue est l expression d une appartenance forte a la culture polynesienne. le va a fait de nouveaux adeptes chaque jour, issus de toutes les generations et de toutes les classes sociales. son renouveau s inscrit bien dans un mouvement plus vaste de reappropriation par les polynesiens, depuis une vingtaine d annees, de pratiques dites traditionnelles, telles que la danse, le chant, le tatouage, la sculpture et bien sur, le va a. mais la modernite a souffle le vent du changement dans la conception de cette embarcation, aujourd hui melange d enseignements du passe et de techniques ultra-modernes. > says fabrice burlin, va'a enthusiast and editor of the magazine 'va'a tahiti.' far from being just a fad, this popularity burst for canoeing is an expression of the resurgence of polynesian culture. va'a rowing attracts new adherents daily that come from every generation and social class. its popularity is a part of a larger movement of cultural resurgence that has been bubbling up over the past 20 years, and includes other activities like tahitian dance, singing, tattooing and sculpture. but the modern world has blown the winds of change into this ancient practice and today the sport has become a mix of teachings from the past mixed up with ultra-modern techniques. each year nearly 2,000 individual canoes are produced by 10 local va'a building operations in french polynesia. these builders have retained the structure that was perfected by their ancestors. but if from afar the allure of canoe rowing has remained the same, from close up everything has changed. in earlier times canoes were carved from a single tree trunk. > if from afar the allure of canoe rowing has remained the same, from close up everything has changed © l. flores - tahiticommunication competition de va a a la pointe venus, sur l ile de tahiti / va a competition
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