On the initiative of As Fauna nui, it has now been three months since archery appeared in Huahine, an activity eagerly awaited by part of the population wishing to practice. The activity, which was once a sacred game and then a traditional Polynesian sport, is often neglected in favor of other traditional sports such as javelin throwing or stone lifting.
To support the association, the Tahitian archery federation of Tahiti participated in its installation by offering six targets and ten bows to the Huahine club. This help was greatly appreciated by the Ace, which allowed the ten archers to train outside, behind the Fare stadium, three times a week. The club currently has different types of bow: the traditional Korean (recurve) bow, the traditional Japanese bow and the hunting compound bow or compound bow.
The president of the association, Timi Tefeetaumarama, hopes that new practitioners will join them: “We hope to have a growing number of members in order to lower the price of the annual membership which hinders some people from taking the plunge. We invite the population to come and take an introductory course to discover this discipline (…) This calm sport requires attention, patience and precision.”
The As Fauna nui created in 2004 also offers a wide range of activities such as futsal, football and soon beach soccer, an inter-island meeting is also planned for April. Regarding traditional sports, a team of tū’aro maohi will demonstrate ancestral sports on February 22 on the magnificent spot of the former Sofitel.
