We have all seen hula dances, fire dances, and maybe even the Hawaiian Ha'a dance, or the Maori Haka dance...especially if you've watched many Disney movies after the year 2000 (are any Lilo & Stitch or Moana fans present?). Once you begin exploring, you quickly realize there is so much more to this aspect of Oceanian culture! Between the sparce population of many of these islands, and the oceans between different people and countries, the traditional music of each region is diverse and multifaceted. Colonialism further complicated and transformed the musical cultures of these subregions. Click through the tabs and experience some traditional elements of music popular throughout Oceania.
Traditional Maori Haka Dance. Image from Flickr. Creator: Matthieu Aubry.
Indigenous Aboriginal culture must be showcased in anything dealing with Australia. Below is an Australian Aboriginal dance performance featuring the continent's most famous instrument - the didgeridoo!
Melanesian music is traditionally vocal, and is often dance music. There is also sitting dances with the music, using waving and hand gestures throughout the songs. The instruments primarily used are percussion and woodwind instruments like flutes and pipes. Modern Melanesian music may include guitar and ukulele (courtesy of Wikipedia).
Traditional Micronesian music is described as both similar to Polynesian, by the Encyclopedia Britannica, but also distinct and enigmatic. More simply put, there is the use of similar instruments and dance like in many Polynesian civilizations. However, traditional music, like the Yap stick dance below, relies on the poetic use of language, colored with highly decorative cultural dress and choreographed dance routines. There is such a linguistic diversity, from island to island - even from village to village! - that the words of the music are often unintelligible to the performers, but they g "go with the flow" anyways.
Encyclopedia Britannica also tells us that traditional Micronesian music accompanied other societal traditions such as tattooing and wayfaring. As these practices decline, unfortunately, the traditional dance and music of Micronesia disappears alongside it.
This podcast (description below) features a variety of musical styles popular throughout Polynesia. Click on the image, play an episode, and enjoy!
"Join your host DigiTiki for rare and vintage Exotica, Polynesian, and Lounge music from yesterday and today, plus interviews direct from the heart of the Quiet Village."
