Polynesian Music Research Paper

Polynesian Music Research Paper

Polynesian Music

In the geographic region known as Oceania which denotes the tropical region of the Pacific Ocean; there exist three distinctly classified ethnic groups. These groups are called the "Melanesia (lit. the 'black islands'), Micronesia (the 'small islands') and Polynesia (the 'many islands')" (McLean, 1999). The Polynesian islands contain a specific area known as the triangle of islands. The triangular boarder of this area consists of Hawaii at the top, Easter Island at one corner, and New Zealand at the other (McLean, 1999). Polynesian islands are then divided up into specific areas including Western Polynesia, Polynesian Outliers, and Eastern Polynesia which contains both Central Polynesia and Marginal Polynesia. Additionally, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...Polynesian Music quite often was used to tell a story and was the most popular form of entrainment of the Polynesian culture. Another was "an important function of gatherings for community singing was to emphasize the values stressed by the culture" (Burrows). The music was even used to in site political affiliation and loyalty to chiefs. In contrast to entertainment purposes, music was also used as a form of punishment to those that committed crimes or went against cultural norms. The songs were not only a punishment for the accused but they stood as a warning to others of the intolerance for the action of the accused. The music was both an expression of public opinion and often was considered to be a legal sanction

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