Maori (Cook islands)
See also: Māori
The Maori of the islands Cook are the Polynesian populations originating or alive with the islands Cook. They are currently approximately 100.000. Nearly 15.000 live in the archipelago itself, 60.000 in New Zealand (primarily in Auckland), 15.000 in Australia, 1000 in Tahiti, the others scattered on the remainder of the sphere (North America, the United Kingdom and even Dubai).
Linguistically near to their Tahitiens neighbors and Maori of New Zealand, they nevertheless knew to develop an original culture specific to the archipelago, the " okono' anga maori" or " little maori".
The dance (you 'will ura)
The dance ('will ura) constitutes an important component of the culture maori Cook islands. Banished a long time by the missionaries because of their lascif character and the nudity of the performers, she knew since a half century a revival being based at the same time on the tradition all in there integral the contemporary elements.Until the Sixties, he was still regarded as impudic for the women revealing their navel who carried out their performances in dresses mission. It is on this date that John Frisbie, a dancer of Pukapuka having lived in the Fifties with Hawaii, introduced into the archipelago the skirt hula made bark of purau and related low to the hips, as well as the idea to hide the chest by two halves of hollow coconuts. These dances of the Cook islands have many common elements with those of Tahiti, although each one have their specificities. Same manner each island of the archipelago will have its own characteristics. Several types of dances are generally distinguished
- the kapa rima (litt. " to kiss mains") the accent puts as its name indicates it on the movement of the arms and the hands. Practiced in solo or group, it is of a tempo relatively slow and accompanied by songs to the romantic set of themes
- the 'will ura Pau literally (" dance of the tambour") is characterized by a tempo much faster and a choreography being based on the movement of the hips for the girls and the legs for the boys. In Manihiki, the 'will ura Pau is called hupahupa , the accent being put more still on the rhythmic dynamism and of gestural specificities (jumps on a foot, roulades on the ground…)
- the will ura piani or dances of the harmonica would be originating in Tahiti taking as a starting point the dances by the European sailors who unloaded in these islands as from the XVIIIè century.
- the ute is at the same time a type of dance and song to choreography as with the more or less impromptu words. The men are generally held behind the women sitting in half-circle, each one improvising its clean gestural.
Songs
August 1st