The kailao is a cultural dance from the South Pacific country of Tonga. It originates from Wallis and Futuna.
History
The kailao originated on the island collectivity of Wallis and Futuna, where it is still performed in public ceremonies. In Tonga it is performed at public and private ceremonies. The men, bearing stylized clubs (pate kailao), dance in a fierce manner that emulates fighting, to the accompaniment of a beaten slit drum or tin box which sets the tempo. Unlike most other Tongan dances, it is performed without singing.[1] The sequences of movements are called by the lead dancer, who calls out the names of the sequences and signals when to do them. They can involve mock combat between dancers, changes in formation, and tricks involving the pate kailao themselves. The moves display the dancers' discipline, obedience, and skills with their weapons. A similar Rotuman dance, also derived from the 'Uvean original, is similarly called the ka'loa.
Tonga College students performing a kailao for the King's 70th birthday (1988)
The 'Ikale Tahi, the Tongan national rugby union team, used to perform the kailao with kailao clubs or sticks, as they did against Wales in 1974. In the 1980s, they stopped performing the kailao and switched to the sipi tau, which is performed without sticks, as it was considered more appropriate for the non-ceremonial setting.
The Tonga rugby union national team's pre-game challenge, the Sipi Tau was penned by King Tama Tu'i Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV in 1994, but its origins can be traced back much further. In Tonga in the pre-1800s there were no challenges before war. Indeed, talking was considered a sign of weakness in battle. But in the 19th century a war dance was introduced from the neighbouring Wallis and Futuna Islands and Tonga quickly annexed it.
There have been several different Sipi Tau used by the Tongan rugby team over the years, but it is unsure when they were first used in rugby. The latest one was composed in honour of a short, successful tour of New Zealand in 1994.[3] The current words were first used in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
^Firitia Velt (1991). "The ʻotuhaka among the other Tongan dances". ʻOtuhaka, a Tongan Dance(PDF). Nukuʻalofa: Atensi Institute. p. 4. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
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