In the heart of Papineau, Tahitians and traditional practitioners continue to seduce

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The Haururu Association invites traditional practitioners and health professionals to spend a weekend together. The motivation? An annual symposium where traditional medicine (“integrative” medicine) and contemporary medicine intersect, weaving connections between past and present, science and ancestral care. Photo credit: Thibault Segalard.

Tahiti, August 31, 2024 – Eric Parrat has been working for 25 years for the recognition of Polynesian traditional medicine. This weekend, as in previous years, he will organize a workshop at Fare Hape in the heart of the Papenoo Valley, with the participation of health professionals, traditional practitioners… Report.

Fare Hape, in the heart of the Papenoo Valley, is like a temple of Polynesian memory. It is here, under humid skies and in an atmosphere rich with tradition, that the Haululu Society invites traditional practitioners and health experts for a weekend. The motivation? An annual symposium where traditional medicine (“integrative” medicine) and contemporary medicine intersect, weaving connections between past and present, science and ancestral care.

On the first morning of the symposium, the association’s president, Éric Parrat, beamed with pride. This meeting of minds from all walks of life – doctors, historians, traditional practitioners, even the Minister of Health, Cédric Mercadal – was a miracle. When Parrat launched the project in 2000, he could never have imagined the coming together of so many wisdoms and beliefs, just as 25 years ago, these followers of traditional medicine struggled to show themselves.“We are really amazed at what happened today, to be able to bring all these people together because it was a challenge” Eric Parrat, “We succeeded in bringing together all the people who work with traditional medicine and medicine based on scientific evidence. More than 20 years later, we met again, and this led to an extraordinary event that the whole planet envied us. I will also soon go to present the results of our many years of work in France, at a conference in my specialty, Pneumology, and the question is: how did you get these results? Well, we don’t know how the Polynesians did it. It works.”

Participants, whether attending discussion workshops on food, obesity, mothers and children, traditional medicine, complementary practices, and Polynesian language and culture, seemed united by a common thread: demonstrating the importance of traditional medicine in contemporary pathways of care, or simply being curious to learn more.

Keep the flame, keep the memory

However, for these traditional remedies to reach their full power, it’s not enough for ra’au tahiti to simply believe in their effectiveness. You still have to know how to prepare them, an art passed down from generation to generation that, unfortunately, is often lost. “My parents passed this knowledge on to me.“Éliane, known as Taurea, is a traditional practitioner whose gestures continue a complex family tradition. At home, time seems to have stopped. People come to see her as they did in the past, seeking cures for their ailments. “I pick the herbs myself from the surrounding valleys and prepare the ra’au according to each person’s needs.”, she explained to Tahiti Infos. For Taurea, such events are essential to encourage the emergence of traditional practitioners: “Our practice must rise from the ashes. Many are scared or ashamed, but it’s time to bring our medicinal rao back to life.”

Marania Penanhoat, president of the Polynesian Young Doctors Association, feels the same way. Although the subject remains divisive for health professionals trained in modern medicine, she recognizes the importance of opening minds to other approaches. “For us, it’s our culture, so it’s different than for us who are coming from the outside. But we have to be aware that Western medicine can’t solve all problems, and we have to recognize that, so having an open mind to see other treatments and other approaches can only help caregivers.”

Eliane, also known as Taurea, a traditional practitioner. Photo credit: Thibault Segalard.

Especially, as Eric Parrat has taught us, the numbers speak for themselves. According to the latest Haururu survey, more than 70% of health professionals in the region are in favor of incorporating traditional medicine into care pathways. As Jenny Torea, a traditional healer in Taaone since 2019, explains, this trend has been exacerbated by the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. “This pandemic has changed everything. Patients feel desperate and without hope in the face of illness.” she said in Tahitian.

Health System “Change”

The success of this integration is a huge source of satisfaction for Dr Pratt, who now hopes to initiate profound changes to the health system with the Minister’s support. “We can’t go on like this, everyone has to take responsibility. The costs are huge, devastating. We have to focus on care now to relieve that pressure. We have to evolve, since COVID, everyone’s health systems have collapsed. We have shown that we can’t keep up with the demand, we have to change the paradigm, the model, and we have shown that it is possible.he told the media.

Cédric Mercadal, who was present at the first day of the discussion, expressed timid enthusiasm in the face of Toate Parrat’s presentation. But if he remained cautious, he still recognized the key role that traditional medicine plays in Fenua: “I think we share a common vision. Traditional Polynesian medicine is the ally we need.”

The discussions that began at Fare Hape will not end with the workshop. They have ignited the flame of traditional medicine, which burns more strongly every year and will continue to spread beyond the stone walls of this valley. This ancestral knowledge, essential to Polynesian identity and health, is now revitalized. From now on, it gradually becomes part of daily life, whether in the hospital, in the office, or at home. The path taken so far marks the beginning of a gentle revolution, a return to basics.