Rā’au mā’ohi: the Efficacy and Resurgence of Traditional Herbal Medicine in French Polynesia

This paper explores the debate on the resurgence of rā’au mā’ohi, a traditional healing system in French Polynesia. While the practice has been in decline due to the more accessible medical infrastructure, the local Protestant denomination, Église protestante mā’ohi (epm), re-evaluates the religious quality of the healing practice in an attempt to revitalise it. epm’s recent practice involves the public distribution of rā’au mā’ohi at liturgies, which provokes controversy among rā’au mā’ohi practitioners. This internal debate on the “failure” of rā’au mā’ohi highlights the significance of cultural symbols in achieving the “efficacy” of Mā’ohi people’s unique healing system. Specifically, this article examines the notion of “efficacy” as a polysemic concept in the contemporary practice of rā’au mā’ohi and scrutinises “pragmatic efficacy” and “theological efficacy” that are respectively associated with conventional and novel practice.