The Arioi

The Arioi society of Tahiti consisted of a special class of entertainers whose purpose was as much spiritual as for amusement. According to Cook, every man and woman in the society were held in common to one another, and that sexual relationships between any two individuals rarely lasted more than 'two or three days.'

The Arioi traveled throughout the Society Islands in large groups, and on each island their coming was eagerly anticipated. Large elaborate lodges were built just to house visiting Arioi troupes. The Arioi members were considered sacred and were the only people guaranteed immortality.

People from all strata of society were free to join, but most observers stated that only the most attractive were accepted. This may have been related to a popular Polynesian concept that related physical beauty to spiritual power. Due to the religious nature of the society, new members usually had to show some form of divine inspiration that attracted them to the Arioi. Once accepted, they were placed on probation for about a year, in which time they had to prove their ability to master the sensous dances and other arts of the Arioi.

When fully accepted, the new initiate was arrayed with "a girdle of yellow plaintain or ti leaves round his loins, his face was stained with mat, or scarlet dye; his brow decorated with a shade of curiously plaited yellow cocoa-nut leaves, his hair perfumed with powerfully scented oil, and ornamented with a profusion of fragrant flowers. Thus arrayed, disfigured, and adorned, he rushed through the crowd assembled round the house in which the actors or dancers were performing, and, leaping into the circle, joined with seeming frantic wildness in the dance or pantomime. He continued in the midst of the performers until the exhibition closed." (William Ellis, Polynesian Researches, Vol. 1, New York, 1833, p. 174)

According to tradition the Arioi society was founded after the marriage of the supreme Tahitian deity, Oro, married the lovely vahine from Borabora, Vairaumati. The marriage was arranged by Oro's two sisters, but they were distressed after learning of the great gifts arranged by Vairaumati's family. In heaven there apparently wasn't much in the way of earthly possessions. So Oro's two brothers turned themselves into pigs, or one into a pig and the other into a bunch of red feathers. These served as Oro's gifts, and later the two brothers, Orotetefa and Urutetefa, became patron saints of the society.

The religious aspect of the Arioi was so important that considerable time was spent memorizing the sacred songs and traditions of the group. At certain times, tests were conducted by the grand master of the society and slight mistakes in reciting the sacred lore subjected one to the greatest ridicule. On the other hand, one capable of memorizing the entire corpus was seen as being of divine selection.

The Arioi carried the idea of the sacredness of sex to extremes. Cook commented on a particular episode that almost surely described an Arioi exhibition:

        "A young man, nearly six feet high, performed the rites of Venus
        with a little girl about eleven or twelve years of age, before 
        several of our people, and a great number of the natives, without 
        the least sense of its being indecent or improper, but as appeared, 
        in perfect conformity to the custom of the place. Among the 
        spectators were several women of superior rank, who may properly be 
        said to have assisted the ceremony; for they gave instructions to 
        the girl how to perform her part, which, young as she was, she did 
        not seem much to stand in need of."
    
        (Cook, An Account of a Voyage Round the World, vol. 1,
        p. 128)
    

After reading this account by Cook, Voltaire wrote:

        "I am still in the island of Tahiti, I am admiring
        the diversity of the scenery, I see with edification 
        the queen of the country taking part in the communion
        of the Anglican Church and inviting the English to
        the divine service as conducted in her Kingdom.  This
        divine service consists in making a young man and a 
        girl, quite naked, have intercourse in the presence
        of her Majesty and 500 ladies and gentlemen of the
        Court.  It can be affirmed that the inhabitants of
        Tahiti have preserved the oldest religion on earth in
        all its purity.
    
        (Voltaire, Lettre au chevalier de Lisle,
        11 June 1774)
    

The Uritoi

Although nothing similar to the Arioi society was found in Polynesia, there was a possibly related practice in the Marianas and Caroline Islands. Here a society known as the Uritoy performed a function very much like that of the Arioi. Ellis noted that the root in the words 'uritoy' and 'arioi' might even be the same.

Among the ancient Chamorros, uritoi meant simply 'unmarried person.' The Uritoi were a peer group responsible for composing and performing the songs, poems and dances in society. The Uritoi peer groups, unlike the Arioi, were formed according to age and class standing.

Another interesting difference is that every Chamorro was at one time or another a member of an Uritoi peer group, unlike in Tahiti were the Arioi were exclusive.

Young Chamorros learned and refined their sexual technique in their Uritoi clubs. Bachelor's houses called guma'uritao allowed young unmarried men and women to cohabit. These were criticized by the Christian missionaries in much the same way the practices of the Arioi were condemned.

The women who went to serve as 'instructors' in the guma'uritao were known as ma uritao. They were highly respected, and mothers even encouraged their daughters to become ma uritao. The members of this society had a special language devised so that only the young could understand. One of these languages was called fino'gualafon for use in love songs.

Although the uritao were for men, women apparently had their own clubs also. These social clubs provided the people with a way of establishing their social worth. The bachelors of the Uritoi carried symbolic carved staffs known as tunas. These were five or six feet long with a tassel at the top known as pagu.

Unlike the Arioi, the Uritoi society also served as a school for men in the art of warfare. Both male and female clubs also served as pools of labor for the village in time of special need.

Photo Credits:

Tahitian dance troupe from http://www.tahiti.com/

Yellow Tahitian flower from http://www.tahiti.com/

Chamorro marketplace from http://www.gov.gu/icons/market.html

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