Details

Latitude

-4.29574

Longitude

151.9885

Start Date

2023-04-06

End Date

2023-04-06

Exhibition of Traditional Practice and Art "Tena Buai" Preparation for Ceremonies and Performances. Tolai Tubuan dancing: Tapialai song performed by initiated men of the sacred Tubuan society. An appropriate excerpt from the closed-access item MW6-084 has been added to this item for public viewing. The Tolai, a cultural group known as Gunantuna people of East New Britain Province, PNG are speakers of the language called Kuanua or locally known as Tinata Tuna. The Tubuan traditional song and dance is performed by initiated male members only of the Tubuan sacred society. These songs and dance practiced over generations in the past and today and is a continuing culture with different types of dances. The composers of songs related t dances are knowledgeable in choregraphy and composition of songs known as "tena buai" Tubuan songs, "Gara" and  "Kabakaver", are sung and performed by the initiated males only in the sone "gara" and ancestral dance "malagene na tapialai". Other types of dances, non tubuan dances, are generally called malagene.  Musical instruments accompanying tubuan gara are kundu and garamut.    (Steven Gagau, September 2023)   

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