The

Austral Islands The Austral Islands (french: Îles Australes, officially ''Archipel des Australes;'' ty, Tuha'a Pae) are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic in the South Pacific. Geographically ...

are part of the territory of French Polynesia. The music of the islands is similar to the music of other Polynesian islands. The largest of the Austral Islands is

Tubuai Tubuai or Tupuai is the main island of the Austral Island group, located south of Tahiti. In addition to Tubuai, the group of islands include Rimatara, Rurutu, Raivavae, Rapa and the uninhabited Îles Maria. They are part of the Austral Isla ...

, which is known for its ancient, atonal singing style, said to be the purest representation of pre-contact Polynesian music in French Polynesia. The ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...

'' has reported a carving, found on

Raivavae Raivavae ( Tahitian: ''Ra‘ivāvae'' /ra.ʔi.va:va.e/) is one of the Austral Islands in French Polynesia. Its total land area including offshore islets is . At the 2017 census, it had a population of 903.

, which depicts dancers alternating with rows of crescents, sometimes said to represent the distinctive skirts of the dancers. This carving style is used on traditional drums, as well as on houses and ''

tapa Tapa, TAPA, Tapas or Tapasya may refer to: Media *Tapas (website), a webtoon site, formerly known as Tapastic * ''Tapas'' (film), a 2005 Spanish film * ''Tapasya'' (1976 film), an Indian Hindi-language film * ''Tapasya'' (1992 film), a Nepalese f ...

''.Oceanic art and architecture: The Austral (Tubuai) Islands
/ref>

Notes

References

* * Austral Islands Austral {{music-genre-stub