The commentary includes extracts from Cook’s journals.
A young Tongan girl visits an art gallery to view paintings depicting early Polynesian and Māori history; Māori groups perform the haka and poi during Waitangi Day Celebrations; Māori take time to mingle after performances; the young Tongan woman at work in her office; dancing and boarding a Teal Airways plane for Tonga.
Tonga is unique in the Pacific, the sole surviving monarchy retaining much of its past: action songs still display the gracefulness of arms and hands of two centuries ago; rhythmical stick dance; ceremonial war dance is performed to the beating of drums; like the Māori Haka, the Tongan War dance once stirred the warriors blood for battle.
Today, Fijians more Melanesian than Polynesian and still look as fierce as their forefathers when performing the Club dance dressed in the full regalia; war dance; Suva school girls perform the fan dance and their costumes are made by the students themselves.
Samoans have adapted many European customs and one is improvising musical instruments; Samoan girls dressed in tapa cloth and garlands round their necks dance the graceful ‘ Siva’.
Regarded as typically Polynesia, the ‘Hula’ is performed by the Hawaiian people and other Eastern Islands of the South Pacific; a small child introduces the hula which can be danced solo or in groups and which for many years has entertained people from around the world.
The Cook Islands dance movements remain authentic; people from Manihiki wear white calico garments introduced by missionaries, over which their native costumes are worn.
Tahiti and the Society Islands: In Tahiti the fire and fury of Polynesian dancing lives on. A large group of men and women in traditional costumes dance to the beat of the drums under palm trees. One version of a dance is said to be performed in such a manner that it is likely excite the desire of the opposite sex.
This dance is the pulsating, passionate climax of the many dances of the South Pacific.
THE END