The Narrative and Poetical Role of a Polynesian Literary Myth: Canoes of the Origins in Contemporary Texts from French Polynesia, New Zealand, and Samoa

Abstract

Abstract How does the rewriting of the Polynesian migration by contemporary authors participate in the evolution of a historical and political myth into a fruitful literary one? When they create characters or stories which exalt the history of their migrant ancestors, Polynesian writers reclaim their past. They also keep alive and help spread the memories of the maritime journey. Most of all, they “write back” to those who ignored their heritage or failed to recognize its value, thereby giving the myth of the original migration a political dimension. In their novels, the quest of the hero is filled with the memory of the great migration, which adds to the postcolonial protest discourse. The myth is nevertheless seldom used for concrete political demands: most of the time, it echoes an ideal or dream of a new world, a world where Polynesian cultures and literatures would be recognized for their universality and creativity.