Dance in Rotuma

Dance in Rotuma refers to the traditional and modern dance styles performed by the people of the island of Rotuma, which became a dependency of Fiji in 1881. Despite Rotuma's political and historical links with Fiji, the island's culture shows strong Polynesian influences, particularly from Samoa and Tonga, which, along with Fiji, feature strongly in the history and traditions of the Rotuman people.

Kato'aga

Kato'aga is a broad term in the Rotuman language summing up all the intricate ceremonies and gatherings of Rotuman culture. In particular, it refers to the ceremonies involved in celebrating the achievements of people of high rank, or identifying their

Fara (Rotuman festivity)

Fara is a traditional Rotuman cultural and social event, occurring in the summertime festival of “av’ manea” where groups of singers and dancers traverse from house to house in a prescribed area to perform and entertain their hosts, “asking”, as

Tautoga

The tautoga is considered the most formal and restrained style of Rotuman dance, usually seen performed in large festivities or ceremonies, or in public opportunities to showcase Rotuman culture. The tautoga style can be seen as comparable to the Tuvaluan

Gagaja

Gagaja [ŋaŋatʃa] is a Rotuman word denoting the position of "Chief" or "Lord". This could be a formal chiefly position in one of the seven districts or a village chief as well as to anyone else, such as the Chairman of the Rotuma Island Council to whom

Joche Albert Ly

Brother Joche Albert Ly was a Chinese Marist Brother, and was martyred in Zhejiang, China by members of the People's Liberation Army for denouncing Communism

Epeli Nailatikau I

Ratu Epeli Nailatikau I was a Fijian Paramount Chief, who was posthumously made the Vunivalu of Bau. He was the eldest son of the first Tui Viti, Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau and his first wife, Adi Litia Samanunu, daughter of the Roko Tui Bau

Mak Sa'moa

Mak Sa'moa is an informal Rotuman dance form derived from Samoan movement styles, including the style of hand movements between man and woman, and the shuffling/twisting of the feet in and out, as in the Siva Samoa

John Fatiaki

Dr John Charles Fatiaki is a career medical practitioner who was chosen by the Rotuma Island Council to be their representative in the Fijian Senate

Roko Tui

Roko Tui is the title for the executive head of any one of Fiji’s 14 Provincial Councils. Each province, called a "yasana", is administrated by a provincial council, which itself is subject to the Fijian Affairs Board, variously considered the

Curtis Island (New Zealand)

Curtis Island is an island in the southwest Pacific. It is a volcanic island which, together with neighbouring Cheeseman Island, belongs to the Kermadec Islands, an outlying island group of New Zealand. It is a volcanic island with a fumarolically active