AWA: Academic Writing at Auckland

'Dancing does not involve the hands and legs alone; rather it involves the mind, the heart and the soul. And this is the beauty of it all'. This essay will discuss the importance and function of dance Tonga. It will look at three different dance forms and their cultural significance and importance. It will also be looking at different scholarly works and what they describe as the function and importance of dance in Tonga. In Western society, dance is seen as means of recreational activity or purely for performance. But in Tongan society, dancing goes deeper than that, it has functional purposes which are important to Tongan culture and history. Of the many functions dance has, Helu (1999) identifies two; 'the first is to consummate a feeling of unrestrained exultation and effulgence'. The second functional aspect of dance is the enhancement of natural virtues. These two functions are seen in many forms of Tongan dancing. Kaeppler (2006) however talks more in depth of the functions and importance of Tonga. She addresses the preservation and evolution of Tongan dance form and function with examples from two traditional dance forms that are still perform today; the me'etupaki (paddle dance) and the me'elaufola (a form of tau'olunga but performed in a group). The former has survived to the present day without much change to its form and the latter is believed to have evolved into what is now known as the lakalaka.

In terms of their functions, it seems that from the earliest descriptions to the present day descriptions, these two dances can be classified as formal and informal. The me'etupaki at the time of European contact was performed on formal occasions, and associated with large scale food giving. That is, it was performed at the 'inasi ceremony when the first harvest of food and livestock was presented to the Tu'i Tonga. As a dance form, the me'etupaki has come down to us virtually unchanged; its function however, has changed. This is due to an important historical fact; at the time when missionaries were converting the Tongan people to Christianity (Methodism mostly), there was much animosity among the chiefs and politics was almost identified with religion and vice versa. Chiefs who were not yet converted to Christianity (Methodism) did not support the same religion as their opponents; this was especially true of the Tu'i Tonga. The establishment of the Roman Catholic mission however, had a significant impact on the course of things including the me'etupaki. The Tu'i Tonga accepted this religion and by doing so he kept his independent identity. 'Because of this, the ancient Tongan dances which were connected to Tu'i Tonga and banned by the Methodists because they were deemed as a form of practicing heathenism, became incorporated as part of the cultural inheritance of the Catholic church'. Today the me'etupaki serves a different purpose in Tongan society; up until the 1970's the me'etupaki was only performed by men of the Catholic church from the village of Lapaha (Village where the Tu'i Tonga resided and that is where his direct descendants are) this separated them from the rest of society because of their direct ties to the Tu'i Tonga. Nowadays however, the me'etupaki can be performed by anyone from any village or religion, it has also lost its functional purpose of being performed at the 'inasi
ceremony, it has taken on the function of being a form of entertainment.

The second form of Tongan dance is the me'elaufola. It was usually performed at informal gatherings called pome'e (the po refers to night time gatherings, though these gatherings were not necessarily nocturnal). It has had a different history of change to that which the me'etupaki has undergone. With the coming of the missionaries and Christianity, traditional dances were suppressed and outlawed. Thus the me'elaufola fell into disuse and laws were passed banning the performance of 'heathen' dances and hymn singing was introduced and children spent their time in schools established by the missionaries. When the teachers would teach nursery rhymes and demonstrate with their hands the various actions depicting the rhyme, the children would imitate the movements. From this the lakalaka was born. When the lakalaka first originated, the moves were very similar to the me'elaufola. This shows that instead of becoming obsolete, the me'elaufola evolved and took on the name lakalaka and is performed by men and women placed in two or more rows of performers. It also took on a different function from what it was formerly used for. The lakalaka is now the official dance for formal occasions and has become associated with the Tu'i Kanokupolu (the ruling dynasty in Tonga today). This is due to certain elements of the dance which have been set since the times of its origin. The lakalaka reflects the socio-political system in Tonga. It is not only a dance form of aesthetic beauty but rather, it is also a reaffirmation of loyalty to the throne and of the goodness of the Tongan way of national life. The social status of the performers are also reflected in their positions of the placement; the centre positions in the front row known as the vahenga are reserved for two persons of the highest rank, next to them would be a man or woman of minor chiefly status, they are the ta'ofi vahenga and at the end of the front row would be a person of chiefly status as well, all other positions are for the commoners.

Apart from its function as the official dance of Tonga, the lakalaka is considered the suitable performance for official events due to the fact that its lyrical content is structured in the same way as traditional speech would be structured, in particular the talanga or the lively debate between talking chiefs in an official kava ceremony. The three parts of a lakalaka; fakatapu (self introduction), kaveinga (theme), tatau
(conclusion), are also to be found within such speeches. In fact the lakalaka is a metaphorical speech sung and danced by men and women who interpret the text in ways consistent with movements that are considered appropriate to men and women in the Tongan culture.

In conclusion, this essay has discussed the functions of Tongan dance. It is fair to say that this essay also shows the importance of dance in Tongan history as shown by the changes that the dance forms have undergone due to religious and political factors, the history of the dances also shows the above mentioned dance forms are quite ancient (although the lakalaka evolved from the me'elaufola). Dancing to a Tongan is more than just the movement of the arms and legs or just a means of entertainment as this essay has shown. There is more to dancing then that which meets the eye of the beholder.

Bibliography

A. L. Kaeppler, Poetry in Motion: Studies of Tongan Dance, Tonga, Vava'u Press, 1993, pg. 75-120
A. Linkels, Sounds of Change in Tonga, Tonga, Taulua Press, 1992, pg. 55-59, 67-71

I. F. Helu, Aesthetics of Tongan Dance, in Critical Essays, Australia: ANU Printing Service, 1999, p. 262

V. Tausie. "Creative Expression and Pacific Awareness," in Pacific Perspectives Journal. Vol 17, #1-2, 1987,p.6