Music of Kiribati

Music of Kiribati

The music of Kiribati has been less affected by Western culture than most other Pacific island cultures since Europeans did not arrive in Kiribati until 1892.[1] The national anthem of Kiribati is "Teirake kaini Kiribati" (Stand Kiribati), by Urium Tamuera Ioteba; it was adopted upon independence in 1979.[2]

Kiribati folk music is generally based around chanting or other forms of vocalizing, accompanied by body percussion. Public performances in modern Kiribati are generally performed by a seated chorus, accompanied by a guitar. However, during formal performances of the standing dance (Te Kaimatoa) or the hip dance (Te Buki) a wooden box is used as a percussion instrument. This box is constructed so as to give a hollow and reverberating tone when struck simultaneously by a chorus of men sitting around it. Traditional songs are often love-themed, but there are also competitive, religious, children's, patriotic, war and wedding songs.[3] There are also stick dances (which accompany legends and semi-historical stories.[4] These stick dances or 'tirere' (pronounced seerere) are only performed during major festivals.

Bata Teinamati has been described as one of Kiribati's most notable musicians.[1]

Folk song composition

Its traditional music is composed by people known as te kainikamaen. These composers are said to receive their songs from myth or magic, an ability that sed from father to son. After composition, a group called rurubene sings the song to the composer, after which it is made public and is sung by anyone; at this point, the song is considered blessed (mamiraki).[5]

Composers also write songs on demand, telling a story told to him by an individual. The composer will then sing it and teach it to the rurubene, making any needed changes. Composers also occasionally create songs of their own accord.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Country profile: Kiribati", The Guardian, April 22, 2009

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kiribati — This article is about the island nation. For other uses, see Kiribati (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Kiritimati, an island in the Line Islands and part of Kiribati. Republic of Kiribati Ribaberiki Kiribati …   Wikipedia

  • Music of Guam — The music of Guam encompasses the works of many Chamorro popular musicians, including KACY, Flora Baza Quan, Daniel De Leon Guerrero, singer songwriter J. D. Crutch, who is on the local Napu Records and who released a best selling local album… …   Wikipedia

  • Music of the Northern Mariana Islands — Gi Talo Gi Halom Tasi National anthem of  Northern Mariana Islands Also known as Satil Matawal Pacifico English:  In Carolinian …   Wikipedia

  • Music of Nauru — The music of Nauru demonstrates its Micronesian heritage. Historical background Its music has been scantly recorded and documented, partially as a result of a ban on traditional dance by German colonial authorities after the 1888 annexation by… …   Wikipedia

  • Music of Palau — The music of Palau finds its heritage in Micronesia, but it has been supplemented with influences from the United States and Western Europe, as well as Japan. The government department of the Republic of Palau and Director of the Bureau of Arts… …   Wikipedia

  • Music of the Federated States of Micronesia — The traditional music of the Federated States of Micronesia varies widely across the four states, and has, in recent times, evolved into popular music influenced by Europop, country music and reggae. Traditional dances Traditional dances on the… …   Wikipedia

  • Music of the Marshall Islands — The music of the Marshall Islands has a long history. The Marshall Islands are an independent island chain, geographically and culturally part of the Micronesian area. It was part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, governed by the… …   Wikipedia

  • Music of Hawaii — Music of the United States AK AL AR AS AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA GU HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA …   Wikipedia

  • Music of New Zealand — [v · d · e] Indigenous Māori music …   Wikipedia

  • Music education — is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. It touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain (the development of skills), the cognitive domain (the acquisition of knowledge), and, in particular… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”