The Taualuga is a traditional Samoan dance, considered to be the culmination of Samoan performing arts forms and the center of the Samoan Culture. This form of dance has been adopted and adapted throughout western Polynesia, especially in the Kingdom of Tonga, Uvea, Futuna, and Tokelau. The famous Tongan version is called tau'olunga.
Video Taualuga
History
The word Taualuga in Samoan refers to the last stage of the traditional house building where the topmost rafter is secured to the building ( fale ), signaling the completion of the construction. The term "taualuga" represents the conclusion of the monumental task and the finishing touches. This dance is often performed as a grand final night entertainment or as a closing number at a Samoan wedding reception, social functions, and other celebrations.
Traditionally, Taualuga was done by a son or daughter of a chief. Each village in Samoa is autonomous and is led by a council of matai called 'village fono'. The daughters of a tribal chief in a village are known as "taupou" or "sa'o'aualuma" when they perform a public ceremonial role; male equivalents are known as "manaia", or "sa'o'aumaga." However, Taupou in certain districts consists of female names or important female titles under the traditional Samoan social hierarchy and the form of government, the main system of Fa'amatai.
This dance is sacred to the Samoans and is traditionally only a virgin who is permitted to do so. Today virginity is not always a prerequisite and although older adults and even teenagers are sometimes seen performing the last dance, a strong preference for unmarried players is still the norm. Manaia can do Taualuga if the Supreme Head has no daughters, but the performance of a chief's son is often mocked; where performance is not held with the same rigorous standards of elegance and necessary improvement of taupou and does not have the same sociocultural significance as taupou. Taupou holds the role of "sa'o'aualuma" or unmarried female leader in the community; he is accompanied by his peers wherever he goes and is constantly under the supervision of "tausi" or an older woman from the village responsible for preserving the virtues and reputation of their chief chieftain. Taupou was raised from the youth in the art of hospitality, rituals and cultural ceremonies, especially protocols and attitudes, and the intricacies of dance art, the peak is taualuga.
There are exceptions when taualuga is not done as a cover, as during religious celebrations or church dedication when taualuga may be seen as a secular activity that may diminish the sanctity or spiritual nature of religious obedience. On the contrary, it is common for a people dressed as taupou to dance and lead a procession in several Samoan Catholic sessions. In all other social events taualuga is usually the last dance performed.
Maps Taualuga
Traditional Clothing
The noble son or daughter of an Samoa chief will dress in a festive regalia for the taualuga show. It usually consists of a traditional woven traditional toga mat, adorned with precious feathers of "sega" (shiny loreike or blue crown), which wrapped around the body. The mat is secured with a tapa sash called "vala" or "fusion" and it is not unusual for a few layers of mats and a tapa to wear. Today, most fine mats are bordered by colored chicken feathers, much larger and finer than traditional mats that are now seen only rarely in Samoa, and only in museums and private collections abroad. Both dancers and mats are generously anointed with fragrant coconut oil to provide cosmetic luster.
The oral history of Samoa maintains that the dance suits for the aristocratic Samoa are also painstakingly made from other natural ingredients, such as skirts made of "sega" fur ("ieful" or "uuula") or dresses consisting of petals and petals (" la'ei "or" 'fromumeamata "). Leopard bracelets and sleeves, turtle shells ("uga laumei" or "uga fonu"), coconut shells, and/or pig tusks adorn dancers and ensembles fitted with a whale cavity ("ulalei" or wild boar ("ulanifo").The "ulalei" was once an exclusive jewelry article for the aristocracy and very few examples are still known today outside the museum; the "ulalei" and "ulanifo" today, for the most part, are just replicas made of plastic pipe, coconut shell, or carved animal bones.
The taupou or whichever crown dress is a traditional headdress known as "tuiga." The coconut bark ("masters") is wrapped in a strip of tapa cloth secured to the front plate ("lave") made of turtle shell in such a way that the bumble stands upright when the face plate is tied to the hair above the forehead; The hair is pulled up into a tight crest called "foga" which is then wrapped tightly with a tapa into a rigid cone where the plates are tied. The early mention of "tuiga" refers to a headdress made with an intricately carved vertical "comb" called a "tuiga" (literally, "standing comb"); This tooth from "selu" is trapped to the hair at the base of "foga," which is coconut bark and long tropicbird ("tava'e") attached. This seems to be the most ancient form of "tuiga" before the "selu" shawls and the "tava'e" feathers are replaced by mother-of-pearl "lave" and "sega" pearls, which have now been replaced by mirrors. , sequins and dyed chicken feathers. The second component of the tuiga is "pale fuiono," literally "nautilus shell headband," made of rows of nautilus shells bound to the webbing of the headband. Often two or more "pale fuiono" are tied to the wearer's forehead. The third component is a hair ornament, which is basically a big wig made from the hair of a female relative. The hair is washed in brine and dyed with lime and orange juice to give a reddish brown color to the hair, and the strands are tied together to form "ie lau'ulu" tied to the top of the cone whose faceplate "lave" is tied. The last part of the tuiga is "ie'ula" (literally, "red dress") which consists of a small red-bristled plume. Today, 'ie'ula are generally made of large colorful chicken feathers dyed in various colors other than traditional red and white. The modern tuiga Bando also deviates from the original design and the use of a true "almost obsolete" nautilus shell of nautilus, even in Samoa, where headband replicas are now made with non-traditional materials such as beads, rhinestones and common shells like cowries. In addition, the traditional multi-cut tuiga is almost never seen, as it is almost completely replaced with a modern one-piece replica that resembles a high hat, complete with a velcro flap that wraps around its head and attaches to the back. This contemporary version of ancient tuiga also uses materials that have never traditionally been used, such as mirror glass, imitation jewelery and pearls, plastic nets and chicken feathers. One piece construction and beautiful decoration of the most modern tuiga away from the majestic and natural tuiga multi-piece of old Samoa.
In the case when the tuiga is not used, "pale fuiono" is usually worn with a feathered "ie'ula" tied hanging from the back or side of the dancer's head. Photos and accounts from the first European visitors to Samoa call taupou wearing flower ornaments, leaves, and ferns around their heads, as well as taupou and manaia wearing high-carved combs carved into their hair for public appearances.
The 'Ailao and Nifo'oti
Contemporary taualuga shows sometimes start with choreography involving a bladed tool called "nifo'oti." While taupou and manaia do dance and swirl at war clubs ("anava") while leading the procession or ending the show, this segment should not be misconstrued as a component of taualuga. The surprise of "nifo'oti" originated with an ancient spectacle of whirling, throwing and pretending to fight with a heritage club called "anava" - the show is called "ailao" and it is a common pre-fighting ritual. Some have mistranslated the word "nifo'oti" as the "tooth of death" although this has proved irrelevant both linguistically and culturally; Modern "nifo'oti" is based on a carved wooden club called "anava." The "anava" and "talavalu" are Samoa clubs carved with jagged or forged edges capable of cutting or decapitating enemies. When European whale hunters and entrepreneurs introduced a fat steel knife and sugar cane knife, these knives were quickly adapted as warclubs and used for dancing and "ailao" wars. The single hook or branch that reminds goat horns (goats introduced to Samoa at the same time as metal knives) and knives is known as "nifo'oti" ("nifo" = horn, "'oti" = goat). Without a glottal stop the term "nifooti" means "dead tooth" or "dead horn," and can not be mistaken as a "tooth of death." The most accurate translation of this term may be "tooth cut," using the verb 'oti ("cut," as in "otiulu" = "haircut"). The "ailao" is done before the actual taualuga as an exhibition of dancer skill, dexterity, grace, and coordination. This is a symbol of the earlier significance that taupou had in its role as the leader of ceremonial, dance, ritual, and war procession processions.
Performance
The Taualuga (unlike Tongan Tau'olunga) is a solo show. The dance was accompanied by a simple chorus and percussion music such as a gong slit or a roll mat beaten with a stick. Singers, directed by a conductor known as "fuataimi" or "fa'aluma," generally sit in concentric rows or semicircles around the dance area. The Samoan taualuga is known for its graceful refinement, smooth hand and facial movements, and incredible tranquility of dancers' movements and postures. The elegant nature of this dance is emphasized by different "aiuli" or "fa'aluma" players, often spontaneously, dancing on the side and behind taupou with exaggerated movements, loud vocalizations, and humorous antics. This is a universal practice for modern Samoans for "lafo" - throwing money to the floor or air above dancers - or putting money on dancers in recognition of their skills and status. For this reason many people are confusing taualuga with money dances as they do among Filipinos and some Latino and European communities. The "lafo" custom, however, does not share the origins of fundraising from the dance of money, although it reflects the previous tradition of presenting fine mats and tapa fabrics at festive occasions concluded with taualuga.
References
- Traditional Samoan Crown
- Traditional Village in Samoa
- Samoa World
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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