Céline Oopa was a

French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...

n politician. She was elected to the Territorial Assembly in 1961, becoming its first female member.

Biography

Oopa's husband Tautu was elected to the Territorial Assembly in

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

and was re-elected in

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

. After his death in 1961, Céline contested the by-election on 8 October and was elected to the Assembly, becoming its first female member. She was re-elected in

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

as a member of the

Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People The Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People (, abbreviated RDPT) was a political party in French Oceania/French Polynesia. The party was led by Pouvanaa a Oopa. Political profile Pouvanaa had been elected to the French National Assembly in 1949. ...

(RDPT). When the RDPT was dissolved in 1963, she was prevented from joining its successor,

Here Ai'a Here Ai’a (), also known as Te Pupu Here Ai'a Te Nunaa ia Ora (), is a pro-independence political party in French Polynesia. It was founded by John Teariki and Henri Bouvier in 1965 following the banning of the pro-independence Democratic Rally ...

. She remained a member of the Assembly until the 1967 elections.Strong vote for autonomy in French Polynesia
Pacific Islands Monthly, October 1967, p25

References

Members of the Assembly of French Polynesia French Polynesian women in politics Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People politicians {{FrenchPolynesia-politician-stub