Lakalaka

The lakalaka is widely regarded as the national dance of Tonga, a Polynesian kingdom in the South Pacific. In its present form it emerged toward the close of the 19th century, developed by the high chief and Methodist preacher Tukuʻaho (1858–1897), who revived and reshaped the older meʻelaufola ("outstretched-arms" dance) that Christian missionaries had earlier discouraged. The word lakalaka is generally glossed as "to step briskly or carefully." UNESCO proclaimed the lakalaka a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003, and in 2008 it was incorporated into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognition that credits its survival to continuous transmission and the patronage of the Tongan royal family.

Culturally, the lakalaka is performed at the most significant state and community occasions — coronations, royal birthdays, constitutional anniversaries, church openings and major village celebrations — where it functions as both entertainment and a formal expression of respect toward god, monarch and chiefs. Rank governs participation strictly: performers are positioned by social standing, with the highest-ranking dancers placed centrally as vāhenga, and by custom people of higher rank than the guest of honour do not dance, while a reigning monarch never dances.

In character it is stately, dignified and reverent, yet builds in energy. Technically, dancers stand in one or more long rows, men to the right and women to the left as seen by the audience. The performance typically opens calmly with a stanza honouring the divine, the sovereign and the chiefs, then grows progressively more animated as the tempo rises. Movement is concentrated in the upper body: hand and arm gestures (the haka, meaning "the gestures") symbolically and allusively interpret the words of the poem, while the legs mainly keep rhythm. Women take small side-steps with fluid, outstretched arm movements; men's movements are more vigorous and expansive.

Musically the lakalaka is essentially sung rather than instrumentally accompanied. A punake — a poet who is simultaneously composer and choreographer — writes verse tailored to the occasion (drawing on mythology, chiefly genealogies, and honoured places and events), sets the stanzas to tunes from a shared melodic pool, and choreographs the accompanying haka; large choruses sing the layered vocal lines. It remains a living art, with new works still composed. The most celebrated composer was Queen Sālote Tupou III (reigned 1918–1965), renowned for lakalaka such as Takafalu and Sāngone. The tradition has also been documented by ethnomusicologist Adrienne L. Kaeppler in "Lakalaka: A Tongan Masterpiece of Performing Arts."