kailao

The tradition & historical record

The kailao is a cultural dance from the South Pacific country of Tonga. It originates from Wallis and Futuna. ¹

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. 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. ¹

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. ¹

Source: ¹

Ei ʻe! (Leader) E! Ei ʻe! (Leader) E! ¹

(Leader) Teu lea pea tala ki mamani katoa Ko e 'Ikale Tahi kuo halofia. Ke 'ilo 'e he sola mo e taka Ko e 'aho ni teu tamate tangata, 'A e haafe mo e tautua'a Kuo hu'i hoku anga tangata. Ei ʻe! (Leader) E! Ei ʻe! (Leader) E! Teu peluki e molo mo e foueti taka, Pea ngungu mo ha loto fita'a Ngungu! (Leader) ʻIo! Ngungu! (Leader) ʻIo! Ngungu! (Leader) ʻIo! ¹

Teu inu e 'oseni, Pea kana mo e afi Keu mate ai he ko hoku loto. Ko Tonga pe mate ki he moto! (Leader) Ko Tonga pe mate ki he moto! ¹

Aye, ay! Aye, ay! ¹

(Leader) I shall speak to the whole world The Sea Eagles are famished unfurl. Let the foreigner and sojourner beware Today, destroyer of souls, I am everywhere To the halfback and backs Gone has my humanness. Hey! hey! (Leader) Aye! Hey hey! (Leader) Aye! Maul and loose forwards shall I mow And crunch any fierce hearts you know Crunch! (Leader) Aye! Crunch! (Leader) Aye! Crunch! (Leader) Aye! ¹

Ocean I drink, and fire I dine! To death or victory my will is fine. That's how Tonga dies to her motto! (Leader) To her motto Tonga gives all. ¹

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. The current words were first used in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. ¹

Source: Sipi Tau a'e 'Ikale Tahi ¹

Teu ke tau! (Leader) Tonga! (Team) Teu lea pea tala ki mamani katoa Ko e ʻIkale Tahi kuo halofia. Ke ʻilo ʻe he sola mo e taka Ko e ʻaho ni te u tamate tangata, 'A e haafe mo e tautuaʻa Kuo huʻi hoku anga tangata. Ei ʻe! (Leader) E! Ei ʻe! (Leader) E! Te u peluki e molo mo e foueti taka, Pea ngungu mo ha loto fitaʻa Ngungu! (Leader) ʻIo! Ngungu! (Leader) ʻIo! Ko Tonga pe mate ki he moto (Leader) Otua mo Tonga ko hoku tofi'a Ei e! (Leader) TONGA! ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Kailao”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

kailao is type of dance, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. ²