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Published on: 6/22/2001
Last Visited: 6/22/2001
It's an oral tradition , says Susan Philips , professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona.They weren't written down until after European contact.Some text goes back to the 1800s.Some of the words have ambiguous meanings.But the suffering prevails in the songs about the sweetheart relationship , she says.The songs are followed by laughter and friendly teasing among the women.They joke with each other with sexual innuendo and wanting to have a lover.
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It's a common form of teasing in Tonga , says Philips , who has recorded and translated these love songs in Tonga.But the hiva kakala is not just reserved for women.Men also compose them for their wives or girlfriends.The men also sing these love songs during kava ceremonies.Professional musicians in Tonga are hired to perform the songs at parties.Some musicians record their songs , which are sold in local record stores in Tonga.The men sing them in a sweet way.
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And they sing them in groups with complex harmony , explains Philips , a visiting professor at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.Philips recently gave a lecture at UH about hiva kakala and its importance in Tongan culture.Philips says the songs' survival throughout history proves how rooted they are in the Tongan culture.Although the songs are considered a traditional indigenous art form , they still are relevant in today's modern society.It's not dying out , she says.The fact that this genre is still alive is part of a broader richness of Tongan musical traditions because they are numerous and diverse.Although there are only 100 , 000 people in the country , it's astonishing how much variety there is in composition..The songs are not just sung between lovers.Some members of the royal family would write these songs for other family members.Philips notes that a Tongan Queen , who was abroad in New Zealand , would write hiva kakalas for her grandchildren back home to express how much she missed them.They almost all have to do with longing and loss.
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The metaphors would be difficult to fathom , Philips says.Philips , a linguistic anthropologist , became interested in Tongan love songs by chance.She originally traveled to Tonga in 1985 to study court cases involving women and domestic problems.That's when she began learning about hiva kakalas and how they reflect modern relationships within Tongan society.You would think from the love songs that the women are profoundly respected.But some of the things that happen to them that have them ending up in court as victims suggest there's another side to how they're treated , she says.If you view it as a longstanding tradition , it's given more respect and regarded as an art form compared to love songs in American mainstream society , she says.For example , most people may like country-western music , but they don't talk about it as art.Whereas , there are Tongans who view many examples of love songs as great examples of Tongan verbal art.In that respect , it's like an opera..
Youth selling goods on Apia streets despite school orderApia ( Samoa Observer ) - Young children are still selling their wares on the streets of the Samoan capital Apia.
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