The Tongan Lakalaka
Music Composition and Style
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2604753 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Larry V Shumway (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1981 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 467 |
| Publication date | 1981-09-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ethnomusicology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0014-1836 • E-ISSN: 2156-7417 |
| Publisher | University of Illinois Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2307/851555 |
| OpenAlex | W2332121823 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
T he Kingdom of Tonga is perhaps the least known of the major island groups comprising Polynesia. Though there were pressures to do so, it never became a colony of a Western power as its neighbors did. This was due in large measure to the efforts of the first modem king of Tonga, George Tupou I, whose adaptability, intense nationalism, and shrewd diplomacy guided the country away from the shoals of Western colonial interests. Although at times it appeared as if Britain would take over Tonga's internal affairs, he withstood each attempt. King George became the ruler of the whole of Tonga in 1845 when he unified the country after many years of civil war. During his long and beneficent reign three developments had far-reaching consequences on national life and by extension on the performing arts that celebrate that national life. The first was a more or less traditional sociopolitical system presided over by the king and, under him, a number of nobles (presently 33 in number though some titles are vacant). Each of these owned large tracts of land on which were housed whole villages, which were taxed variously for the support of the noble and the costs of administration, public works, and the like. In return the noble was to see to their protection
Art · Composition (language) · Literature · Music education · Musical composition · Style (visual arts) · Visual arts · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs
| Citations per year | 0.09 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1993 - 2021 (29) |
| Highly cited | No |