Bora Bora’s Cultural Immersion: Traditional Dance, Art & History Tours
On the main island of Bora Bora, the stone platforms of Marae Marotetini sit in the valley of Povai, their carefully arranged ahu evoking ceremonies of chief investitures that once structured communal life. These sites, alongside the island’s wartime bunkers and the living traditions of dance and weaving, form a cultural landscape that most visitors never fully explore. This article covers the historical sites, performance traditions, and artisan practices that define Ma’ohi culture on Bora Bora, and explains how to engage with them respectfully. Between 1942 and 1946, nearly 6,000 American soldiers transformed the island into a strategic military