United through Dance and Music - My Speech

We the students at Tamaki Intermediate are from different Countries, different cultures and we speak different languages. Yet we are all united in this diversity.

Even though we are different peoples we live together in NZ in peace and harmony.
What brings us together? Learning together, eating together and singing and dancing together makes us have unity in diversity.

Today I would like to tell you something about the Cook Islands Song and Dance which is very much at the heart of the culture of the Cook Islands. The dances of the Cook Islands are renowned throughout Polynesia for their expression and sensuality.

The gifts of music, song and dance play a large part in the culture of the Cook Islands and native children begin to dance as soon as they can walk. Each of the 15 islands that make up the Cook Islands has its own special dances. Each island has a slightly different dancing technique which makes their performances unique. Even through all this the people of the Cook Islands are united through dance and song.

In general, the women dance with a swaying hip movement that slowly goes from side to side. They dance with flat feet which is hard to do while swaying the hips - and the shoulders should be kept absolutely still. In fact, girls and young women are judged on how still they keep their shoulders while dancing - the stiller they are, the better dancers they are considered to be.

The men meanwhile dance with slightly bent knees, which they knock together in time with the drum beat. They also have a grinding movement and overall, their dance is very jerky when compared to the smooth swaying of the hips of the women. The two dances are completely opposite but when they are performed together they produce a dance which is simply described as spellbinding.

Despite not being as well known as the Hawaiian hula and the Tahitian Tamure. The dancers wear traditional costumes, comprising skirts, which are worn by both men and women, made from cotton material or bark cloth covered with grass, long green leaves and dried bark strips. These are often adorned with shells, seeds, bright leaves and colourful flowers.

The headdresses are made from bright flowers and are very ornamental. They are easily the most prominent part of the costume, and the men regularly have feathers attached for added height. The costumes can take months to make, however once made they can last for years.

Cook Island dancing is always accompanied by music and, on most occasions, there are singers as well. The singers tell traditional tales in the native language, while the drummers and other musicians accompany them with a rhythmic beating of their drums.

The Cook Islanders are united through their music and dance like people in other cultures are.

By Tu-Uaati