Tapu and kahui in the Marquesas

Research on the Marquesas Islands reveals that the concept of 'tapu,' traditionally governing behavior toward material and immaterial elements, social relationships, and places, persists despite its perceived obsolescence. Father Chaulet's 19th-century observations noted that tapu still influences perceptions, such as considering women impure during menstruation, challenging the notion that it is entirely a relic of the past. The study, based on historical missionary documents and exchanges with researchers, highlights tapu's enduring social and cultural significance in Marquesan society.

Ottino-Garanger, P., Ottino-Garanger, M.-N., Rigo, B., & Tetahiotupa, E. (2016). Tapu and kahui in the Marquesas. The Rahui: Legal Pluralism in Polynesian Traditional Management of Resources and Territories. https://doi.org/10.22459/tr.03.2016.03