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Samoan Material Culture

Dance Time Implements

Dance Time Implements

Ceremonial speech, food, and presents marked festive and important occasions. The natural accompaniment was singing and dancing. Dancing in the form of the siva and the poula contained a number of figures composed of different movements and postures. These were performed by groups representing various villages, or in the local gatherings, various divisions, or family groups in the village itself. Usually after combined figures, individual dancing was indulged in. In all group dancing, the movements were made in unison and faultless time was the criterion of excellence. A method of beating time was a natural accompaniment of dancing. This was done by singing, clapping hands, and beating time on some object. Hence, every dancing party had a small orchestra, to provide the time, not only for the dancing, but incidentally the clapping of hands and the singing. The orchestra remained seated cross-legged on the ground behind the dancers. When individual dancing took place, the rest of the dancers remained seated and added their voices and hand clappings to that of the orchestra. The time beating instruments are very simple.

Rolled floor mats (fala). The ordinary coarse pandanus floor mats are simply rolled to form a hollow cylinder and tied with a strip of bark or braid to prevent it coming unwound. This simple type of drum is then beaten with two light sticks and the rhythm of the sharp taps gives excellent time. To beat the mats is tafua and the phrase for beating the mats to commence the page 575dance is tafua le fala. The leader of the dance will call "Tafua le fala," and the dance commences. The time is perfect and various flourishes are introduced. One or more rolls may be used and the companions of those beating time also keep time with hands and voices.

Rolled mats with bamboo (tui' tu'i). A number of pieces of bamboo varying in length from 4 feet downwards, with one end open and the other closed by a node are wrapped up in a floor mat with the open ends enclosed in the mat. This improved instrument is beaten with two sticks in the same way as the simple mat roll, but the hollow bamboo rods give a different sound. Different sounds may also be produced by beating on different parts of the instrument. Turner (41, p. 125) states the open ends of the bamboo were enclosed in a mat bag but he probably meant the wrapped mat. A mat bag requires a special plaiting technique and no such article was mentioned during my inquiries about plaiting. The Samoan does not usually make a special object if something in common use will serve his purpose. Both the mat roll and the bamboo roll were expedients used for the occasion and neither was a permanent arrangement reserved for beating time only. When the dances were over, the cords were unfastened and the floor mats resumed their ordinary functions.

Bamboo lengths ('ofe). Sometimes the preceding instruments were further assisted by a few of the orchestra using various lengths of bamboo, with one end open and the other closed. The closed end was thumped on the ground in time with the beating on the mat and the various lengths naturally emitted different sounds. The example of the short length in Plate L, A, 3 has the upper open internode split in a number of places to add a rattling sound to the usual booming hollow sound of the whole column.

The smaller wooden gongs were also beaten to give time to the dances. Nowadays discarded biscuit or benzine tins are preferred. It rather detracts, from appearances to see the men and women arrayed in their best, garlanded with wreaths, and glistening with coconut oil going through the various, postures and movements in perfect unison to the time produced from an empty kerosene tin at the back of the serried lines. However, the tin requires no physical effort to hollow out, it costs nothing and gives a better sound than anything evolved by native culture. Incongruity gives way before utility.