Dancing from the Heart: Movement, Gender, and Sociality in the Cook Islands

Appendix

APPENDIX COOK ISLANDS DANCE GENRES ‘URA PA‘U: DRUM DANCE A drum dance is composed around a series of beats played on a variety of hollow wooden slit drums (pātē, tōkere, kā‘ara) and skin drums (pa‘u) (see Jonassen 1991). The kerosene tin (tini) is also a very popular drumming instrument, although its traditional status is questioned by some. The use of the tini as a musical instrument is attributed to musicians of the northern group. Both men and women dance this genre—the distinguishing features are the fast, swaying hip movements of female dancers and scissors-like leg movements of male dancers. Some drum dances are composed around a general theme such as fishing, a hurricane, or the coconut (how it is husked and grated and its various uses, such as for food or as a hair conditioner). Sometimes males will dance with spears or torches or on boxes or stilts. Drum dance costumes tend to be pāreu kiri‘au (“grass skirts” made from lemon hibiscus fibers). Headdresses are also made from hibiscus fibers, dried leaves, and shells. On Rarotonga, and most of the southern group, women wear coconut bras. These became popular in the mid-1980s, perhaps as part of the process of “ethnification” of cultural production . Before this time, bikini tops or bras made from kiri‘au were worn. Women in many of the northern Cook Islands wear a pāreu or T-shirt to cover their upper body. KAPARIMA: ACTION SONG Until recently, kaparima were always referred to as action songs. The term kaparima was devised during the Constitution Celebrations in the 1980s as part of a process of “Māorifying”  6EE:C9>M words, particularly those to do with culture. At tourist shows, action songs are usually performed by females. At the Constitution Celebrations and other community events, male dancers may also perform them. Action songs tend to feature female dancers who perform to the accompaniment of guitar, ukulele and voice. They are slower paced than drum dances. The grace of a dancer’s hands and hip movements emphasizes the poetry of the song’s lyrics. Costumes are usually ankle-length pāreu. Fresh flowers and leaves are used for neck and head ‘ei. PE‘E: CHANT There are many different types of pe‘e. One type is incantations or prayers (karakia) that are performed when fishing, planting, or weaving and are said to make the activity successful. Other pe‘e accompany legends and myths (see Hiroa 1944). Pe‘e are also used when reciting aspects of a family’s genealogy. The most commonly performed pe‘e today are called turou, or welcoming chants. At most official occasions an orator performs a chant that acknowledges and praises the chief who owns the land on which the event takes place. The orator will then “challenge” the visitors and welcome them. At tourist performances, a chant is generally performed at the beginning of the show by a male dancer. It serves as an introduction for a dance group. These types of pe‘e have no musical accompaniment except a series of drumbeats to announce the chanter. The Constitution Celebrations performance of pe‘e is a group genre; lyrics are chanted and sung by men and women. Female dancers sit cross-legged in lines on the ground and perform actions that correspond to the chant lyrics. Males usually dance around them. One male is the mata ‘ura (dance leader), who weaves in and out of the group chanting and dancing. Costumes are usually made from rautī leaves (Cordyline terminalis) or some other earthy-looking material. ‘ŪTĒ: COMMEMORATIVE SONG ‘Ūtē are songs that commemorate a person, event, or incident. Lyrics are often humorous and bawdy, relying on double entendres, and are supplemented with lewd or comical actions. ‘Ūtē performed at official events like the Constitution Celebrations are more restrained and tend to praise individuals such as the prime minister or ariki. Generally, ‘ūtē are sung with no instrumental accompaniment. Male dancers/singers stand in a semicircle around seated women. The group sway and wave their hands as  6EE:C9>M they sing. Individuals may stand up and perform spontaneous dance movements. Men generally wear island shirts and black pants, and women wear island print mu‘umu‘u. This composition of dancers and singers is also replicated in performances of ‘imene tuki (Cook Islands Christian Church religious songs). The tuki (rhythmic grunts) performed...