Tongan Take-aways : Kailao! End of the Year Culture Show

November 27, 2012

At the end of every year each elementary learns cultural dances and songs, which they then perform for the community in a bag ceremony. I have already mentioned that I have been learning the war dance that the kids are learning at my school, today was the day we performed. I was told by my fellow teachers, especially my (crazy) counterpart Mele, to invite Sean and Dominca to the show so I did. Dominica said she could make it and found a ride into my village with my town offer (side note- my town officer is crazy, he is bald and really funny and always is a bit kava hung over, his kids are also pretty hilarious).

I was a little nervous but I just figured that it is just going to the village and the will probably just think it is cool that I am trying- plus I think they like when white people try and do Tongan things (they think it is absolutely hilarious). Point here is I know the dance but not amazingly so or anything. So Dominica gets dropped off at my house and my town officer offers to take us to the village, now I am confused. Dominica (who has been here for 3 years so knows how to speak Tongan) conversed with him for a few minutes. Apparently, the show is in another village and is with 2 other schools and in front of the officers from the ministry of education- now I am nervous. I guess my fellow teachers forgot to mention that this show was a bit more of a thing. After I hurriedly grabbed my stuff we met up with the teachers at the town hall (where I thought we were performing) and I chastised them for not telling the palangi what was what. We drove to the next down and I was garbed in some Tongan essentials- kahoa (lay), flowered belt and war paint. I ended up doing the dance and only messed up a few times, but hey it’s Tonga, even the official things really are not all that official.