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War in Rapanui Music: A History of Cultural Representation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 March 2019

Dan Bendrups
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Extract

This article examines historical associations between music and war on the Polynesian island of Rapanui (Easter Island; figure 1). Throughout Polynesia, bellicose themes appear in the lyrics of songs commemorating legendary battles and warriors, as well as in depictions of combat in staged and un-staged performances appealing to tourist and indigenous audiences alike. On Rapanui, spears, clubs and other artefacts of war embellish performances by contemporary music and dance ensembles, together with dance moves that imitate martial activity. One recently successful ensemble has even taken the name Matato'a (an ancient term meaning ‘warrior’ or ‘guardian') as a means of symbolizing their cultural guardianship. While these performances are aimed at the tourist market, they are not devoid of local significance. Indeed, the recent push to generate a diverse repertoire of Rapanui music for cultural performances has arguably assisted in the revitalization and preservation of precontact songs, chants, and dances that would otherwise be consigned only to the memories of Rapanui elders and the dusty pages of obscure ethnographic works.

Type
Articles
Information
Yearbook for Traditional Music , Volume 38 , 2006 , pp. 19 - 33
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 By The International Council for Traditional Music

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