Original subtitles

[thunderous ocean roar]

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[narrator] "In a world older than ours

there are finished and complete creatures

gifted with the extension of the sense

we have lost or never attained,

living by voices we shall never hear."

Henry Beston.

[♪ gentle music playing]

[distant drumming]

[insects chirping]

[♪ gentle music continues]

[narrator] In the 18th century, news reached Europe about islands

with breathtaking nature and beautiful people,

and about their dances full of unbridled passion.

News about natives practicing magical rituals,

capable of listening to nature

and using it by means unequaled on our planet.

[♪ gentle music continues]

[water laps gently]

[Libor] A 20-hour flight from the heart of Europe to the other side of the globe

set our clock back by eleven hours, thanks to the difference of 11 time zones.

The archipelago of French Polynesia consists of 118 islands and atolls

scattered over an area as large as Europe.

The desire to learn about and record this paradise on earth

with photographic cameras was alluring to us.

[Petra] We are headed for the Society Islands.

The islands of Tahiti; Mo'orea with its legendary Cook's Bay,

vanilla-flavored Taha'a, sacred Raiatea, hospitable Maupiti,

Huahine, as well as the island of Bora Bora,

also called the Pearl of the Pacific; all these are waiting for us.

Today it is much easier to travel from island to island

than it was for the first inhabitants who sailed here in canoes

from far away South East Asia some 200 years B.C.

They were excellent seafarers; they knew how to navigate using stars,

reading sea currents and the directions of the waves.

The world admires their abilities to this day

and the locals are justifiably proud

of the skills and traditions of their ancestors.

What is life like in French Polynesia today, in the 21st century,

after 200 years of Western cultural influences?

[♪ tranquil music playing]

[Libor] Every time I arrive at the sea I first approach it,

stroke the water and ask its permission for me and my friends

to enter and return safely.

It is my own ritual.

The surface of the sea is a gateway into another world.

In the silence of the ocean's depth

I quickly forget all the insistent manifestations of civilization.

Under the water I am much calmer,

although today I feel a little uneasy about how Petra will manage

those close encounters with the schools of sharks waiting for us.

This area is famous for them.

For Petra it will certainly be a new experience.

And here they are, the first sharks...

well, rather babies of the white tip sharks.

They watch us with curiosity.

[Petra] The colorful palette of the undersea world fascinates me.

The fatigue from the long flight is gone.

For me, the sea is like an enormous accumulator of energy.

I realize that in the area of the Society Islands

there are few places left with such a well-preserved coral kingdom

like here on Maupiti.

And the main thing is, even in the center of the busy and multicolored sea life,

incredible silence reigns.

[soft breathing through regulator]

[narrator] The coral world used to be much richer.

The coral, to'a, represent life and growth

and had its power ti'i.

It transferred this power to objects made of it.

Sanctuaries called "marae" were made of large coral blocks.

Marae used to witness ceremonies venerating many gods.

Stones were attributed an extraordinary spiritual power called "mana."

By turning the heads of the stone fish towards the ocean,

the guardians of the sanctuaries were asking the god of fishermen

to assure a good catch.

Legends say that by concentrating their minds,

the forefathers were capable of influencing nature.

Marae reminds of rectangular pedestals with no walls or roofs.

The most sacred place is the altar, ahu.

The buildings are constructed of lava rocks and coral slabs,

hauled here laboriously, quite often from distant places.

The coral seats were places from which representatives of the highest class

observed the ceremonies.

[Petra] On Maupiti, marae are densely sprinkled close to each other.

Riding rickety bicycles, we barely cover a few meters before our guide Jeffry

stops at another remarkable sanctuary.

There are many of them on all the islands around.

[♪ eerie music playing]

[narrator] The majority of local inhabitants today

are followers of the Christian faith.

In spite of that, they are afraid, just as their ancestors were,

to move any stone so as not to invite bad luck.

Some of the stones have sacred animals engraved on them.

Nobody knows exactly the age of these petroglyphs.

[Petra] Jeffry shows us human bones.

He does not know, however,

whether these are the remains of those who died naturally,

or whether they were victims of sacrificial rituals.

Human sacrifices to the Gods were by far not so exceptional.

[♪ soft music playing]

[narrator] Missionaries did not understand native rites.

They were terrified by their influence and so attempted to eradicate them.

They did not even hesitate to use the sacred places

as foundations for their churches.

The missionaries abolished strict rules based on tapu, that is tabu.

Unfortunately, even those important

for maintenance of balance in the living environment.

Depending on seasons, certain kinds of fish or plants were forbidden to eat.

In Individual regions, people could eat only certain meals.

[wind blowing]

[Petra] Polynesians drew the spiritual power mana

from both the dry land and the sea.

Even then they understood the close relationship between these two worlds

and the need to protect them for the future.

[Libor] Coral reefs are in a way cities.

They offer apartments and enough to eat for a varied community of animals.

The perfectly intertwined structure represents a biological laboratory

not only for the ocean, but for the whole planet.

If one part is damaged, the others are affected too.

One of the natural enemies of the life giving coral is the starfish,

the "crown of thorns."

In one year this variety of a sea star

can wipe out up to ten square meters of live coral.

It causes more damage than a hurricane.

[♪ ambient music playing]

[♪ ambient music continues]

[Petra] I'm so thrilled I can hardly breathe.

She emerged from the depth of the ocean like a phantom.

I'm trying not to miss even a fraction of this wonderful encounter.

Giant five meter wings of Atlantic manta almost touch Libor's camera.

[drum beating]

[narrator] From the sacred Marae Taputapuatea,

the most able seafarers of the planet were setting out in their canoes.

On each of the newly settled islands they erected a sanctuary,

using as the main foundation stone one from this same area.

Raiatea thus played an important role in the whole process of settlement

of the Polynesian triangle.

[Petra] The festive ceremony starts just as, like by magic,

an enormous cloudburst stopped.

Ambassadors from Tahiti, Hawaii, New Zealand, Easter and Cook Islands

arrive to strengthen their ancient ties

from the times when Taputapuatea was a spiritual center.

The guard in front of the ceremonial circle wouldn't let us any closer.

We're probably the only tourists

among the ambassadors and natives of the islands.

I feel a strange humility.

[Libor] The man conducting the Ava ceremony

performs a cleansing ritual using seawater.

The water is in fact the carrier of the sea Mana.

Delegates from the individual islands inside the circle

embody the connection between the visible and the invisible sacred world.

The ceremony is accompanied by drinking the ritual beverage kava.

The presence of the ancestor spirits

is to reinforce the unity of the participants and gods.

One after the other,

like in the times when Taputapuatea was a kind of university,

the ambassadors share experiences from their home islands.

[people applauding]

[drum beating continues]

[narrator] Things were not always so friendly.

Even humans were sacrificed at the altar of Oro, the god of war.

He was also the god of harmony and peace in peacetime.

His spiritual energy is said to still emanate from the highest stone.

Even today we can still feel it.

[Petra] Legends are told also through dances,

originating in the movements of nature.

[fast-paced drum beating]

[waves crashing]

[Petra] With the islanders, the family comes first.

On Tahiti even very young women bear children, who are cared for by the family.

Childlessness is unheard of.

Affectionate human relationships attract many men

even from other corners of the world.

[narrator] My father, grandfather, myself,

my cousin and the owner of the boat.

Here I am Don Corleone and my fan club.

...with his fan club.

[narrator] Daughter number one is 30 years old,

son number five is 20,

daughter number two is 28.

[birds chirping]

[Petra] Flowers serve not only as decoration

and perfume behind one's ear,

but also as herbal remedies.

By the way, there isn't a pharmacy on Maupiti.

Pulp made of the mangrove nut hotu,

wrapped in a piece of cloth and applied to the back, can chase pain away.

[man talking indistinctly]

This is tamanu seed.

[narrator] This is tamanu.

We press oil out of it for burns and sore skin after tattoos.

It heals wounds and prevents infections.

We dry it under the sun...

[narrator] There is always one member in a family

who knows the secrets of nature

and whom people see in case of illness.

He then passes his know-how

onto the next keeper of family traditions and knowledge,

usually to one of the children of his own children.

In spite of modern times, grandparents teach their grandchildren old skills.

Such as weaving of baskets from palm leaves,

or building of traditional roofs from soaked leaves of the pandanus.

Even coconut fibers become beautiful decorations and jewels

in the hands of women.

[Libor] Some women prefer fishing.

During the Heiva festival,

a contest is also held for the most successful fisherwoman.

[Petra] The show of the catch takes place

at the famous quarter-of-a-millennium old market place

in the capital of Tahiti, Papeete.

Mahi mahi is a favorite delicacy.

However, harpooning it can at times be life threatening.

Men chase the fish from a boat when the strong winds blow.

In big waves the fish come close to the surface.

This courageous hunt brings back the artful skills of ancient savages

and can sometimes last for hours.

[people chattering]

[water bubbling]

[Libor] Rather than being surrounded by fish in the market

I feel much better with the live fish underwater.

Although sometimes one must be very careful.

Four hundred million years of evolution

polished the abilities of sharks beyond human comprehension.

They do not perceive their environment through five senses like we do,

but with eight.

They discover potential prey easily and its chance of escape is negligible.

We are not an item on their menu but circumspection is necessary.

The basic rule is: Never show fear and constantly keep facing them.

[Petra] I guard each of my thoughts

and concentrate on the gracious movements of the black tip sharks.

Any sign of nervousness could wake up their unnecessary curiosity.

Even though the likelihood of an attack is minimal it cannot be entirely excluded.

[Libor] Three and a half meter long lemon sharks circle around us

and scan us inquisitively with their senses.

They perceive changes in vibrations, waves and pressure,

thanks to the small channels on the sides of their trunks

where the nerve endings are located.

Another extraordinary organ of sharks

is located in the vicinity of their nostrils

and called Lorenzini's ampoules.

With this they can feel, at the distance of several meters,

changes in the electromagnetic field.

Every living being emits weak electromagnetic waves,

even a shrimp cleaning a moray eel of unpleasant parasites and food leftovers.

[Petra] The first close encounter surpassed all my expectations.

They are so beautiful I'm spellbound.

I cannot take my eyes off them.

[Libor] Flashes of our strobes also lured over curious grey reef sharks.

[Petra] Next to our undersea biologist and guide Julian,

I can fully concentrate on taking pictures.

Not only does he cover my back, but he also watches

whether the predators show any sign of restlessness and want to taste me.

A shark has taste buds over the whole of his body

and when he brushes past me, he is in fact tasting me.

[♪ soft music playing]

[Libor] Unfortunately, our air is getting low

so we have to slowly return to the boat.

[Petra] Libor, of course, would rather stay.

Sharks, as if they sensed our hesitation, don't want to part with us either.

[Libor] Whereas we discover the beauties of the undersea world

in a state of weightlessness,

moving on the surface of the island has its limitations and sometimes even hurts.

[Petra laughs]

[Petra] We set out to the interior of Bora Bora by the only road there is.

Where is our driver Terry?

It's a strange feeling to see nobody driving.

However, the passable road ends soon,

so to reach the interior we have to go on foot.

[Libor] The next day, we follow the Moroccan archeologist Azdin.

We had no idea he cleared the trail with a machete only recently.

He pushes us further and further.

The first...

[narrator] This altar could not be completed

before the arrival of the missionaries.

The altar is small because there's only one God.

[narrator] Have a look at how wide it is.

In comparison with Christian churches, which have an altar for only one God

they needed a space for each of many gods.

They sit in front of the people...

[narrator] This was his place during the ceremony.

Here, the marae ends.

Imagine in the past...

[narrator] Don't forget, marae was never built with walls or roofs.

These are the ruins of a house, which belonged to the priest.

And it's straight like this.

[narrator] And this is a chair for the king,

where he was sitting during the ceremony.

Like this.

[narrator] At that time,

you would not have to carry a bottle with water.

You see? The snake tree. Open your mouth.

[Petra] I'm not very keen, but curiosity gets the better of me.

Hm, it's good!

This is the fresh water.

[Libor] It's a little sweetish. This wouldn't have occurred to me.

[satisfied] Mmm-hm.

[thuds]

[narrator] This is how they communicated.

Echoes traveled throughout the whole island.

Almond, Tahitian almond.

It's a larger nut.

Tahitian almond. You can eat it.

Mm.

[narrator] Sweet, isn't it?

Do you see these leaves? They have a shape of three fingers.

It's a passionflower.

It has fragrant blossoms and sweet fruits.

Blossoms can be used for preparation of shampoo.

Not with the leaf; with the flower. If you have the flower, you make shampoo.

[narrator] Ylang Ylang, on the other hand, protects the hair from the sun.

It is then nice and shiny.

Wild vanilla is a variety of orchid.

Today it is cultivated and pollinated by hand.

Because of this care, there is a saying "you marry her."

It is the most demanding plant in the world.

Overripe coconut represents a traditional dessert.

It is sweetish and smooth as cotton.

Like cotton.

[narrator] You can gobble up two kilos of it a day and you won't put on weight.

[Petra] Our archeologist's greatest surprise.

An enormous sacred banyan tree.

[narrator] Here they laid the personal artifacts

and skulls of their chiefs, ari'i.

New shoots gradually grew up through the skull

and strengthened till they eventually swallowed it up completely.

...and after I close this place.

Here in Polynesia, we have...

[narrator] Petroglyph depicts a map of the entire island.

This is the main island.

The big mountain, Otemanu.

The smaller mountain, Pahia.

Matira beach and its look-out,

lagoon with its deepest spot and the only channel into the lagoon.

[♪ gentle music playing]

[Petra] In the mountains, where the medicinal herbs grew

almost under the noses of the inhabitants,

nobody lives anymore.

They all left long ago for the beaches.

In place of the original huts,

luxurious hotel complexes have been erected.

Although the costs to build and run such places are growing,

today's guests expect the same virgin nature and customs

as existed hundreds of years ago.

[echoing shell blow]

[echoing shell blow]

[♪ soft music playing]

[Libor] Although life originated in the sea,

we still know desperately little about it.

In spite of our growing consumption of energy,

the sea offers hidden reserves

which could mitigate the harmful impact on the submarine wealth.

[water lapping]

[Petra] As, for example, the system of utilizing cold seawater

for air conditioning, spa and regeneration of corals

in the Intercontinental hotel complex on the island of Bora Bora.

As a natural source of cooling,

cold seawater is pumped from a depth of 900 meters.

In a heat exchanger it cools down the warm water

and saves up to 90% of energy.

Thus they implemented the vision of the actor Marlon Brando

who lived here and strived for the ecological use of energy sources.

[♪ soft guitar melody playing]

Cold water from the ocean is also utilized for spa treatments called Thalasso.

[Libor] Cold water enters the shallow lagoon

via a channel dug out at the narrowest part of the reef.

Whereas before the high temperature of the water was detrimental

to almost all life,

today under the watchful eyes of biologists

there grows a coral garden directly under the spa.

[♪ peaceful music playing]

Every new centimeter of growth is carefully documented.

It is not easy to bring life back where nature did not succeed.

[♪ peaceful music continues]

[Petra] Local waters are home to a marine miracle

which came in to being, paradoxically, as a defensive reaction.

Tahitian black pearl, a unique jewel created by a pearl oyster

as a protective coat around a grain of sand

is one of the attractions of these islands.

This rare phenomenon has been mastered and propagated at pearl farms.

A small grain is manually inserted into a pearl oyster with black edges.

A pearl then grows inside, sometimes for several years.

Pearls are sorted and priced according to the shade, shape and luster.

[Libor] They used to be called Royal pearls

since only members of the nobility could afford them.

Today they are substantially more affordable

and some customers keep coming back for more.

This is said to be the destiny of those who fall in love with their black beauty.

[♪ soft guitar melody playing]

Don't be misled by their name;

the black pearl is not in fact only black,

but its colors cover a whole palette of shades from black to gray,

from silver to green.

Some of these jewels grow under the careful supervision of growers

over many years.

An 18-year-old black pearl like this one is a treasure of the local market.

[♪ rhythmic music playing]

[Petra] I always consider an encounter with a sea turtle to be great luck.

Only a small number of them still remains.

For navigation during their long voyages to the beaches where they were born

they have for millions of years been using the magnetic field of the Earth,

transoceanic currents, differences in temperature and perhaps even stars.

In legends they were considered messengers of gods

and only the great warriors were allowed to eat them.

People believed that through eating them they would acquire their abilities.

After the tabu was lifted by the missionaries,

this exclusivity ceased to exist

and unfortunately the sea turtles became a delicacy for many.

[♪ tranquil music playing]

[Libor] Biologist Mathew from the organization Spirit of the Ocean

cares for sick and injured turtles

at the turtle clinic on the island of Mo'orea.

He tries to make the local children interested in their fate.

They then continue to protect and care for the turtles.

[Petra] This patient was attacked by her natural enemy, the tiger shark.

In the open sea she wouldn't stand a chance of survival.

[♪ tranquil music continues]

[Petra] Sebastian from the turtle center has been nicknamed "the turtleman."

Most of these turtles would not have been born at all

were it not for his ingenious idea.

[narrator] Once in the middle of the night,

customs officers brought in the body of a confiscated turtle.

Unfortunately, she was already dead.

Since it was nesting season,

it occurred to me to open her up and put her eggs here, in the sand.

Naturally I wasn't sure whether this would work

but two months later, little baby turtles were born.

We built a reef and grew plants on it, so that the turtles could relax in them.

Adult turtles graze on sea grass

and by doing so, they maintain the natural environment for other animals.

[♪ serene music playing]

[Petra] Within five years Sebastien saved over 500 green turtles.

He recognizes each of the current 30 by the designs on their heads and shells.

They are as unique as fingerprints.

[Libor] When her time comes, this turtle will set out into the open sea

and perhaps she will become one of a thousand that will survive.

She will have to face fishermen's drag nets,

in which hundreds of thousands of turtles perish each year,

as well as plastic trash which turtles confuse with their food.

[♪ serene music continues]

[Petra] It is difficult for me as well as Libor

to say goodbye to these angels we learned to love.

Especially when we know what demanding tests lie ahead of them.

[♪ serene music continues]

[distant thunder rumbling]

[Libor] The belief in the abilities of sacred animals

is reflected in the art of tattoo.

The symbols and other markings, banned for more than 160 years,

decorate the skin of their owners again.

Decorate and also tell their life stories.

This is about my job in pearls.

It was in the ocean, of course.

My daughter and my last children, three boys.

That means stronger, higher, you know?

In... job.

- [Petra] Mm-hm. - In activity.

That means about different symbols

of our culture, of our stories.

[narrator] Doing a tattoo I proceed in steps, because it's painful.

- It's big. - Uh-huh.

[narrator] The picture can be enlarged continually.

But he can take it. He likes pain.

[tattoo machine buzzing]

[narrator] The individual symbols are connected with your life, family

and history of the island.

[Petra] This is nice. You don't have to speak the language

but you can still read it.

This is the place...

[narrator] This is an old tattoo stone.

And now have a look how they did it.

You take two wooden sticks

and you should imagine a shark's tooth here.

It is dipped in ink made of special ash ti'a'iri

mixed with oil...

and then it is hammered here. "Ta-ta-ta-ta".

This is the family...

[narrator] This represents a family of healers.

The sun.

These pictures come from the Tuamotu islands

and this is a symbol of the spiritual power mana.

Yeah, this is a spirit guardian.

[narrator] On my back I have a picture rendition

of the connection with the whole spiritual world.

Both from the left side and from the right.

[Petra] I haven't chosen any of these eternal symbols.

They have a deeper meaning than it would appear.

And so I'd rather stick to the traditional fashion decorations.

[♪ peaceful music playing]

I fell in love with the enchanting fragrance

of the tiny blossom tiaré tahiti.

It decorates not only the wraparound pareo,

but it is also an important symbol.

When worn behind the ear, according to whether it is the right or the left,

it shows whether the wearer is "spoken for" or "free."

[drum beating]

[festive singing]

[Libor] There is also a dance underwater,

and not only in July.

That attracts me.

[♪ peaceful music playing]

[Petra] Some moments should never pass.

The more I concentrate on the pictures in front of me

the more intensively I perceive them.

[♪ peaceful music continues]

In spite of being constantly on guard,

I feel a strong bond with the ocean.

[♪ peaceful music continues]

[Petra] Our guide Lino lures us to the depths of the sea

to see his favorite places.

[♪ gentle music playing]

[Libor] A moray eel.

It looks like she knows Lino well.

The only real wreck in Polynesia, the Norby.

She sank at the island of Raiatea in the year 1900,

after she unexpectedly hit a shoal.

[♪ gentle music continues]

[Libor] Some animals can be easily overlooked.

The poisonous stonefish, dangerous to the touch.

And here, the poisonous lionfish are hiding.

[Petra] For the first time in my life

I am swimming through the bowels of a wreck.

I am now close under a trapped pocket of air

which divers replenish with their air bubbles.

It's a strange feeling.

[♪ gentle music continues]

[Libor] I only wish that more people could learn

how unjustified are the surviving myths about sharks.

Their attacks on men are very rare.

The locals respect sharks

and many of them consider a shark to be their guardian animal.

Some people even consider them to be their re-incarnated ancestors.

They manage to live in harmony with this symbol of strength and protection.

It is getting dark

and it is perceptible even under the water.

[Petra] I'm looking forward to the spectacular dance show on land.

[intense drum beating]

[Libor] Heiva means time and space for fun and joy.

July is the month of the Heiva celebrations.

Natural art forms of the natives

of which they were deprived for years by the missionaries.

It was as absurd as when a king in a fairy tale

forbids his subjects to laugh.

Today, the islanders again tell the legend of their ancient relationship with the sea

through their dance.

[drum beating continues]

[drum beating fades out]

[Petra] Even after two centuries of western cultural influences

we find elements of mysticism bonded with joy and passion.

[♪ soft festive music playing]

The male and female dancers do not realize

they're becoming part of our fulfilled dream.

[♪ soft festive music continues]

[Libor] The evening is far from ending.

Our friend Lorick caught a deep-sea stonefish

and invited us for dinner.

[laughter]

[Petra] Even the tuna kebab

and traditional salad of raw fish look delicious.

[indistinct chattering]

[Libor] Perhaps we will all fit in

since only a part of Lorick's family is here.

[overlapping conversations]

[narrator] We pray before each meal.

We do benediction before eating. Yeah? So...

[narrator] Cheers translates as "manua."

Manua!

[indistinct chattering]

[laughs]

Yes.

[distant chattering]

[Petra] Food, wine and the general mood are wonderful.

I feel like I'm among long-time friends.

[distant conversations]

[people laughing]

[Libor] Some had danced until morning.

[♪ dance music playing, Shakira "Waka Waka"]

[Libor] While others are starting their usual day.

♪ The pressure's on, you feel it ♪

♪ But you got it all, believe it ♪

- [waves crashing] - [birds squawking]

[Libor] We have yet to say goodbye to the ocean.

[♪ festive music playing]

[Petra] For the last time I sink into the intoxicating state of weightlessness.

[♪ serene music playing]

Other perfect forms of life appear in front of me.

[♪ serene music continues]

[Libor] The most feared ocean predators swim around us in absolute calmness.

Over millions of years nature has provided them with perfect senses

but did not count on the appearance of an animal species

which would target them for slaughter in many parts of the world.

The slow and complicated reproduction of sharks

is insufficient to prevent their gradual disappearance.

Unfortunately, many other lifeforms will disappear with them as well.

[♪ serene music continues]

[♪ gentle music playing]

[♪ gentle music continues]

[Libor] We visited islands that have become a synonym for paradise.

The heritage of traditions and respect for nature are still present there.

But most of the unexplored secrets on Earth are still hidden in the ocean.

Evolution has not prepared dwellers of the sea world

for their dry land enemies.

Man absolutely irrationally destroys many things,

not grasping what important bonds are being infringed upon.

The invisible threads of mutual connections

still remain concealed to us.

- [♪ gentle music continues] - [drum beating]

[♪ serene music playing]

[music fades out]

[water lapping]