“For the to’a, he looks to landmarks to find the good [fishing] spots, to be able to fish the deep water fishes, i’a to’a. For the signs, he looks to crevices, trees… trees, crevices and sometimes a mountain to find the spot. He says it’s like this: when the fish bite, he looks to the mountains and takes mark of the signs. For the day after tomorrow, or perhaps for the next fishing trip. When he returns, he goes again to the same spot. He says it is truly sad for the youth, who do not know this type of fishing. Here mostly in Hanatetena, he says that maybe it is the parents that have not transmitted [the knowledge], or the parents were not fishers. This is what he says.”
Tehei translates the words of Teifituteiki (or simply, Papa’u Teiki), an old fisherman from the village of Hanatetena who speaks in his local language, Marquesan. I discussed fishing practices with him back in April of 2018. The Marquesan word to’a refers to deep-sea fishing locations, usually plateaus or rocks that provide decent feeding grounds around which large fish congregate. The practice of finding the to’a using landmarks is an ancient technique used by Marquesan fishers to this day, and may be one of the last places in the world where it continues to be practiced. Fishers triangulate two or three landmarks by moving their boats and bodies through space until the landmarks align just right. Like much of the older generation on Tahuata, Papa’u Teiki laments the changes that have taken place.
Original Transcription:
Sur le to’a, il regarde les signes pourqoui il trouve le bon endroit. Pour pouvoir pecher les poissons du fond, i’a to’a. Pour les signes, il regarde dans les cretes, les arbes… les arbes, les cretes et parfois une montagne, pour trouver le endroit.
Il disait, c’est comme ça: quand se mord les poisson, il regarde sur la montagne pour marquer les signes, pour la lendemaine, ou pour la prochaine pêche. Quand il revint, encore au même endroit.
Il disait, c’est vraiment dommage pour les jeunes, qui ne connaît pas cette pêche la. Ici surtout Hanatetena, il disait peut être c’est leurs parents n’a pas transmettent, ou leurs parents sont pas des pêcheurs. C’est-ce qu’il dit.
The Edited Jottings of an Amateur Anthropologist 