Island style: Dancing the Pacific

A DigitalNZ Story by Sean McMahon

Exhibition at the Turnbull Gallery, Level 1, Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library Building, Corner of Molesworth & Aitken Streets, Wellington. This digital set is a selection of images from the Alexander Turnbull Library Collection 18 March 2013 – 11 May 2013, Mon - Sat 10.00am - 5.00pm `Island style: Dancing the Pacific`' celebrates dance traditions as a vibrant expression of Pacific cultures. Dance, both ceremonial and contemporary, is an essential part of festivals, social events, and competitions in Pacific countries – and in Pacific communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. This exhibition is based primarily on the perspective of the ‘other’ – how travellers, missionaries, colonial administrators, academics and tourists have encountered dance in the Pacific. For these outsiders, dance was a spectacle, a window into foreign ways and exotic cultures. For the Pacific peoples themselves, traditional dance has always been an expression of the desire to tell stories, a celebration of culture, used to conduct ceremonies, and a means of entertainment. In recent decades, a burgeoning of festivals across the Pacific and in New Zealand has provided opportunities for a new generation to experience traditional dance practices and connect with their cultural identity. This exhibition draws on the rich collections of images, words and sound held in the Alexander Turnbull Library. The Library actively collects material about the island nations as well as about Pasifika New Zealanders.

Pacific, Pasifika, Pacific Islands, Aotearoa, New Zealand, Niue, Cook Islands, Tokelau, Samoa, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Hawaii, Tahiti, Nauru, Tonga, Easter Island, dance, meke, hula, siva, seasea, lakalaka

Image: Samoan dancers

Samoan dancers

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Fijian dance, Narokoroyawa

Fijian dance, Narokoroyawa

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Women's Meke

Women's Meke

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Fan and bamboo meke

Fan and bamboo meke

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Meke ni ngeli (monkey dance), Tubou

Meke ni ngeli (monkey dance), Tubou

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Sketches of Mokilese men and women

Sketches of Mokilese men and women

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Tongan girl

Tongan girl

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Samoan ceremonial dancer

Samoan ceremonial dancer

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: War Dance, Niue

War Dance, Niue

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Fane in lakalaka dress, Tubou

Fane in lakalaka dress, Tubou

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: A club meke

A club meke

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: A club meke

A club meke

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Cook Islands dance, Rarotonga

Cook Islands dance, Rarotonga

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Group in Samoan dancing attire

Group in Samoan dancing attire

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Men performing a knife dance, Samoa

Men performing a knife dance, Samoa

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Native siva siva or dance

Native siva siva or dance

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Young girl dancing, Pago Pago

Young girl dancing, Pago Pago

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Ceremony at Mago Island, Fiji

Ceremony at Mago Island, Fiji

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: A "Vaka Missionary" in Viti levu

A "Vaka Missionary" in Viti levu

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Young female performers in grass skirts

Young female performers in grass skirts

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Comic dance at wedding, Matuea, Rotuma

Comic dance at wedding, Matuea, Rotuma

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Male dancer at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Male dancer at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Ngati Whatua group at Kaipara

Ngati Whatua group at Kaipara

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Ngati Poneke group

Ngati Poneke group

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Augustine, Tahiti

Augustine, Tahiti

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Men dressed for dancing, Tahiti

Men dressed for dancing, Tahiti

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Augustine, Tahiti

Augustine, Tahiti

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Poi dancers

Poi dancers

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Poi dancers

Poi dancers

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Poi dancers

Poi dancers

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Maori dance group

Maori dance group

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Maori war dance

Maori war dance

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Ceremonial dancers, Nandi, Fiji

Ceremonial dancers, Nandi, Fiji

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Women performing a poi dance, Parihaka

Women performing a poi dance, Parihaka

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Women and girls performing a poi dance

Women and girls performing a poi dance

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Group of poi dancers, Parihaka, 1890s

Group of poi dancers, Parihaka, 1890s

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Men performing a knife dance, Samoa

Men performing a knife dance, Samoa

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Male dancers at the meke, Lautoka, Fiji

Alexander Turnbull Library