Music and dancing

Dancing stilts, from the Marquesas.
(Munich Ethnographical Museum)
[Click on picture for higher resolution]

Song and dance occupy a large part of the life of the dwellers in the fortunate isles of the tropic zone. The Maoris, too, sing on every occasion; at work, in dancing, in rowing, at their sports, or when marching to war. They especially like amcebean songs, in which choruses alternate with individual chants. But the character of their songs is not cheerful, however cheerful may be the mood which inspires them; rather are they solemn. The Polynesians have a decided sense for rhythm and even for rhyme. At the more important performances, monologues, dialogues, even the rudiment of a drama, often consisting in the mimic representation of a quarrel, ending in blows, are put on the stage between pas seuls. On these occasions dancing-wands or dancing-stilts, often finely carved, are in use.

Bamboo dancing stilts, from the Marquesas.
1900mm long approximately
(Christy Collection)
[Click on picture for higher resolution]

Cook's companion, Anderson, describes a musical entertainment in Tonga as follows: "Eighteen men sat in the ring of spectators, four or five having bamboo-tubes closed at the lower end. These they steadily struck almost vertically on the ground in slow time; muffled notes, varying according to the length of the tube, being given out. Another musician produced clear tones by striking with two sticks a long split bamboo which lay on the ground in front of him. The rest sang a soft air, so much mellowed by the rougher tones of the simple instruments that no one could help recognising the power and pleasing melodiousness of the music." On other occasions hollow tree-stems are beaten like drums with two sticks. Of all the manifold European instruments the drum was the only instrument of which the Tongans would take any notice; and this they thought inferior to their own. Micronesian drums are distinguished for their marked hour-glass shape. Particular drums are used in divine service, and are regarded as sacred. Bamboo flutes and shell trumpets are everywhere common.

Wrestling and boxing

Among the dances are also included the war and weapon games, and the favourite wrestling and boxing contests. In Hawaii, when Cook was there, even the girls took part in these. The Polynesians have a great liking for games.¹ One of their games is very like our draughts, but appears to be more complicated, since the board has 238 squares, divided into rows of fourteen. Another consists in hiding a stone in a piece of cloth, and trying to find it by hitting with a stick; in this game the betting is the important point. Ball-games are very popular. In the Hawaiian game called Lala, a wheel-shaped stone (Maika), is thrown as far as possible; and players stake all their property, their wives and children, their arm and leg bones (after their death), and at last even their own persons on one throw.

Games of children

Another pastime is racing between boys and girls. Swimming in the surf with the help of a board or spar is also in some measure a game of chance; it is played, especially in Hawaii, by both sexes with much dexterity and pluck. Little boats are a frequent toy of children; who also, like their elders, are fond of ball-play. The young New Zealanders have a special predilection for flying kites. Another game of theirs is to throw up a ball made of leaves bound together, and catch it on a stick sharpened at both ends. Besides these, games with the fingers, like the Italian morra, are very common; and the players are extremely clever at them.

¹ [Mr. Stevenson mentions somewhere that cricket-matches in Samoa used to be played by whole villages, some hundreds on a side, and to last for weeks. At length the waste of time and cost of entertaining the "visitors" reached such a pitch that the chiefs had to interfere.]