The music of
Polynesia
Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...
is a diverse set of musical traditions from islands within a large area of the central and southern
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
, approximately a triangle with
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
,
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
and
Easter Island
Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...
forming its corners. Traditional Polynesian music is largely an inseparable part of a broader performance art form, incorporating dance and recital of oral traditions; most literature considers Polynesian music and dance together. Polynesian music expanded with colonial European contact and incorporated instruments and styles introduced through a process of
acculturation
Acculturation is a process of social, psychological, and cultural change that stems from the balancing of two cultures while adapting to the prevailing culture of the society. Acculturation is a process in which an individual adopts, acquires and ...
that continues to the present day. Although the European tradition of
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
-singing brought by
Christian mission
A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such ...
aries was probably the most important influence, others are evident;
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
's influential (“
slack key
Slack-key guitar (from Hawaiian ''kī hōalu'', which means "loosen the uningkey") is a fingerstyle genre of guitar music that originated in Hawaii after Portuguese cowboys introduced Spanish guitars there in the late 19th century. The Hawaiia ...
”) music incorporated the
Spanish guitar introduced in the late 19th century, and later introduced the
steel guitar
A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...
to
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
.
Hip hop and
R&B influences have created a contemporary
Urban Pasifika music genre with a strong Polynesian identity and supported by the annual
Pacific Music Awards
The Pacific Music Awards are an annual New Zealand music award ceremony since 2005 that honours excellence in Pacific music in New Zealand. The awards honour musicians who primarily work in the Pacific Island style of music from the Cook Islands, ...
in New Zealand.
Aloha Oe, celebrated Hawaiian song.
Christian music
In the 1790s,
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
missionaries
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
arrived in Polynesia for the first time.
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
s and other forms of Christian music were instituted, and native
musical genre
A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from ''musical form'' and musical style, although in practice these terms are some ...
s were driven underground and prohibited. Soon, traditional polyphonic singing was merged with Christian styles and church singing, and along with
brass bands became an important part of Polynesian music culture across the Pacific.
Popular music
![Kalani_Pe'a_Merrie_Monarch_2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Kalani_Pe%27a_Merrie_Monarch_2019.jpg)
Popular music in Polynesia is a mixture of more traditional music made with indigenous instruments such as the
nose flute
The nose flute is a musical instrument often played in Polynesia and the Pacific Rim countries. Other versions are found in Africa.
Hawaii
In the North Pacific, in the Hawaiian islands the nose flute was a common courting instrument. In Haw ...
in
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
, and the distinctive wooden drums of the
Rarotonga
Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...
, and local artists creating music with contemporary instruments and rhythms, and also a blend of both. In the 1980s, Fijian stars like
Laisa Vulakoro
Laisa Vulakoro (born 13 August 1960) is a Fijian singer known as the Queen of Vude. She comes from the island of Yacata in Cakaudrove Province. Her music combines disco, rock and Fijian folk music. Vulakoro has performed since the 1980s and ...
and
Lagani Rabukawaqa Lagani Rabukawaqa is a pop musician from Fiji who achieved fame in Oceania in the 1980s.Burese, Ioane (2009)A family affair, ''Fiji Times
''The Fiji Times'' is a daily English-language newspaper published in Suva, Fiji. Established in Levuka on ...
became popular across the Pacific.
Raiatea Helm
Raiatea Mokihana Maile Helm (born 8 August 1984) is a Hawaiian music vocalist from Molokaʻi, Hawaiʻi. She has earned four Na Hoku Hanohano awards, as well as two Grammy nominations for Best Hawaiian Music Album.
Helm is best known for her L ...
is an internationally touring Hawaiian singer who has won has been nominated for the
Grammy's.
Kalani Pe'a Kalani may refer to:
* Kalani (name), list of people with the name
* Kalani (percussionist) or Kalani Das, American percussionist, clinician, performer, author, and educator
* Kalani (''Star Wars''), a Separatist tactical droid in the ''Star Wars ...
is a popular Hawaiian singer songwriter who has also won two Grammy's. His music is traditional style Hawaiian songs include four part harmonies oli aloha (greeting chants of appreciation) as well as contemporary Hawaiian music. He also translates popular songs into Hawaiian language.
Na Hoku Hanohano Awards
The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, occasionally called the Nā Hōkū Awards or Hoku Awards, are the premier music awards in Hawaii.Berger, John"A night of Na Hoku Hanohano" ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser''. May 22, 2011.Haug, Kawehi"Hoku awardees shine ...
are music awards in Hawaii.
There is a form of reggae called
Pacific Reggae Pacific reggae is a style of reggae music found in the Pacific. This style is found in Polynesia (including New Zealand and Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about ...
which features different instruments such as the ukulele and Pacific Island drums than reggae in other places.
Herbs
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
is a popular New Zealand band in this genre. J Boog (USA) is a reggae performer of Samoan descent based in Hawaii.
Chris Boomer is a reggae artists from
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
.
Polynesian heritage artists feature in pop music culture including
Dinah Jane
Dinah Jane Milika Ilaisaane Hansen (; born June 22, 1997) is an American singer and a member of girl group Fifth Harmony. In October 2017, she featured in RedOne's single " Boom Boom" with Daddy Yankee and French Montana. After the group's hia ...
(USA) of
Fifth Harmony
Fifth Harmony, often shortened to 5H, was an American girl group based in Miami, composed of Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and previously Camila Cabello until her departure from the group in December 2016. The group signe ...
.
Some Polynesian islands have developed a cassette industry, most notably
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
,
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
and
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
.
Steel guitar
Popular Hawaiian inspired musicians include steel guitarists
Bill Sevesi
Wilfred Jeffs (28 July 1923 – 23 April 2016), better known by the stage name Bill Sevesi, was a musician and master of the steel guitar who helped popularise Hawaiian-style music in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Tongan-born Sevesi ...
and
Bill Wolfgramm who led popular dance bands during the 1950s.
See also
*
Music of Hawaii
The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Styles like slack-key guitar are well known worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is a frequent part ...
*
Maori music
*
Music of the Marshall Islands
*
Music of Tuvalu
The traditional music of Tuvalu consists of dances, including '' fatele'', '' fakanau'' and '' fakaseasea''. The influence of the Samoan missionaries sent to Tuvalu by the London Missionary Society from the 1860s resulted in the suppression of so ...
*
Music of Tokelau 300px, The ''pate'' slit drum is used to make music in Tokelau.
The music of Tokelau occurs in the atolls of Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo. It is dominated by communal choral activity in harmony, with percussive accompaniment including log drums ...
*
Music of Tonga
Music of Tonga refers to music derived from the island Tonga in the islands of Polynesia. Music of Tonga today generally falls under the category of traditional music that has withstood the test of time, or into one of the two opposing genres of ...
*
Micronesian music
Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...
*
List of Oceanic and Australian folk music traditions
References
Bibliography
*
*Linkels, Ad. "The Real Music of Paradise". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ''World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific'', pp 218–227. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books.
*Hebert, D. G. (2008)
Music Transmission in an Auckland Tongan Community Youth Band ''International Journal of Community Music'', 2(1).
*Hebert, D. G. (2008). Music Transculturation and Identity in a Maori Brass Band Tradition. In R. Camus & B. Habla, Eds. ''Alta Musica'', 26, pp. 173–200. Tutzing: Schneider.
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