What is Cook Island dance called?
Maori Ura
One of the popular traditional dances of the Cook Islands is the Maori Ura, a sacred ritual usually performed by a female who moves her body to tell a story, accompanied by intense drumming by at least 5 drummers.
What is the purpose of Cook Island dance?
Dance has a special place in Cook Islands life. It is a way of entertaining and having fun but it can also have a serious purpose teaching cultural values and to record history.
What are different types of Cook Island music?
Harmony-singing church music and a wide variety of hymns and wedding and funeral music are found throughout the Cook Islands. There is much variation across the region, and each island has its own traditional songs.
How do you URA dance?
To perform the ura, women typically wear a pareu and a kikau (grass) skirt, with flowers and shell headbands and necklaces known as ei. Men during the dance are said to “vigorously flap their knees in a semi-crouched position while holding their upper bodies steady”, and they typically wear kikau skirts and headbands.
What are the Cook Islands famous for?
Accessible by air from Rarotonga and known for deserted beaches, limestone caves and a population of 400 warrior people, it’s one of the few untouched places left on Earth. The Cook Islands are refreshingly devoid of towering mega-resorts – the rule of thumb is that no building can be taller than the palm trees.
What do Cook Islanders wear?
Like much else on the islands, dress is casual and modest. Both men and women wear wrap-around pieces of material called ‘pareu’ (sarong) around the home, and women sometimes tie them nicely to wear out on a special occasion.
Who founded the Cook Islands?
Captain James Cook
Throughout the following decades Spanish explorers briefly sighted the Cook Islands including Alvaro de Mendana in 1595 who sighted Pukapuka and Pedro Fernandex de Quiros in 1606 who sighted Rakahanga however it wasn’t until 1773 when Captain James Cook discovered the Cook Islands, sighting Manuae, Palmerston, Takutea.
Why is Cook Island famous?
Home to vivid blue lagoons, sandstone churches, swaying palms, locals with exuberant smiles, a lush mountainous landscape and a bustling café and bar scene, the island offers plenty of ways to pass the time. Nestled in its heart, the Punanga Nui cultural markets draw locals and travellers alike every Saturday.
What do Cook Islands wear?
What is the traditional Samoan dance?
Siva Samoa is the Samoan term for a Samoan dance. A version of Siva Samoa, called Mak Sa’moa, is a popular traditional dance style in Western Samoa. Other forms of traditional Samoan dancing include the taualuga, siva afi, and sasa.
Who named Cook Islands?
Capt. James Cook
The Cook Islands, named after Capt. James Cook, the British explorer who visited the South Pacific area in the mid-1770s, became a self-governing territory in 1965 and has sought to rename itself several times since.
What is the capital of Cook Islands?
Avarua District
Cook Islands/Capitals
Avarua, town and capital of the Cook Islands, South Pacific Ocean. It is located on the north-central coast of the island of Rarotonga, in the southern Cook Islands, about 2,100 miles (3,400 km) north of New Zealand.
Why are the Cook Islands famous for dance?
Before the written word came to these islands the history of its people was passed on in stories, chants and dance but even today dancing remains the principle vehicle for the transmission of heritage from one generation to another. The Cook Islands have always been famous for their vigorous drum dances and graceful action songs.
What kind of dance is the kolo dance?
Kolo is a traditional, collective folk dance performed by dancers who are interlinked to form a chain, usually moving in a circular line holding hands with their arms down. It is performed to the accompaniment of music at private and public gatherings and involves all members of the local community.
What kind of drums do the Cook Islands use?
To the east drums with a skin covering predominate and to the west the wooden drum is beaten but in the Cook Islands, a central point in the Pacific, a full ensemble of drums from both east and west is present which collectively create a powerful resonating sound.
Who are the practitioners of traditional folk dance?
It is performed to the accompaniment of music at private and public gatherings and involves all members of the local community. Cultural-artistic societies and folk dance troupes are also important bearers and practitioners of the element.