Traditions of Oceania
Haka and hangi, Dreamtime and corroboree, kava, tapa and the umu oven. 58 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
🇳🇿 Auckland, New ZealandPoi
A Māori performing art of swinging tethered weights in rhythmical patterns.Performance
🇦🇺 AustraliaBark painting
Ochre pictures on flattened tree bark, an Aboriginal art form of northern AustraliaCraft
🇰🇮 KiribatiMusic of Kiribati
Chant, body percussion, songs and dances of the islands of KiribatiPerformance
🇹🇻 TuvaluFatele
A traditional dance song of Tuvalu performed at community events and celebrations.Performance
🇫🇯 FijiMeke
A traditional Fijian dance and song form performed by groups at celebrations.Performance
🇼🇸 Samoa and 1 moreFa'ataupati
A traditional Samoan dance performed by men who clap and slap their bodies to create rhythm.Performance
🇦🇺 AustraliaGarma Festival of Traditional Cultures
A four-day cultural gathering in northeast Arnhem Land celebrating Yolngu traditions and fostering two-way learning.Festival
🇳🇿 Wellington, New ZealandHaka
A ceremonial dance of the Māori people in New Zealand, performed with vigorous movement and chant for welcome, mourning,Performance
🇳🇿 Wellington, New ZealandKa Mate
A Māori haka of life and survival, composed by Te Rauparaha and performed by New Zealand teams.Performance
🇹🇴 TongaTauʻolunga
A Tongan dance of hand gestures and steady eyes, performed by young women at weddingsPerformance
🇦🇺 Sydney, AustraliaSongline
A navigational and spiritual path across Australia that links ancestral stories to the physical landscape.Folklore
🇹🇻 TuvaluMusic of Tuvalu
Rhythmic storytelling dances and choral singing from the Polynesian atolls of TuvaluPerformance
🇼🇸 Samoa and 3 moreSiva Samoa
A graceful Samoan dance marked by subtle, expressive arm and hand movementsPerformance
🇳🇿 Auckland, New ZealandMāori Language WeekTe Wiki o te Reo Māori
An annual nationwide week promoting the learning and use of te reo across New ZealandCeremony
🇦🇺 Sydney, AustraliaCorroboreegaraabara
A gathering of Australian Aboriginal peoples featuring dance, music and storytellingFestival
🇵🇬 Goroka, Papua New GuineaGoroka Show
An annual cultural gathering and sing-sing in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New GuineaFestival
🇦🇺 AustraliaBush dance
An Australian social dance style, usually with a live bush bandPerformance
🇦🇺 AustraliaBush ballad
Verse and song that tell stories of life in the Australian bushPerformance
🇻🇺 VanuatuSand drawingsandroing
One unbroken line drawn in sand with a finger, used to tell stories in VanuatuCraft
🇹🇴 TongaLakalaka
A formal group dance of Tonga where singers stand in rows and move their arms to express songs.Performance
🇳🇿 Rotorua, New ZealandKapa haka
Māori group song and dance, from tribal and school groups to the national stagePerformance
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Poi: RaviGogna, CC BY 2.0, source
- Bark painting: Unknown artist, Public domain, source
- Music of Kiribati: Julie Lyn, CC BY 2.0, source
- Sand drawing: PhillipC, CC BY 2.0, source
- Music of Tuvalu: Avenue, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Siva Samoa: Smita Biswas, CC BY 4.0, source
- Māori Language Week: Government House (New Zealand) https://gg.govt.nz/copyright-and-licens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fatele: JialiangGao, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Meke: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Haka: Merrett, Joseph Jenner, 1816-1854., Public domain, source
- Ka Mate: Alasdair Massie, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bush ballad: A. B. Paterson, Public domain, source
- Kapa haka: Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, CC BY 2.0, source