"My mom, when she was a little girl, she was forbidden to speak Tahitian," he said. "For a while there, it wasn't looking good when you speak Tahitian — 'Oh, you're too rude, or you're from the street, or from Teahupo'o, in the bush.'"

Now, Tahitian language and culture are sources of pride in Teahupo'o, where clear rivers run through the village to the black sand beach and the lagoon.

Olympic gold for 22-year-old local surfer Kauli Vaast also generated great mana, spiritual power or cultural pride.