Music and Politics

Possibly the most important reason for the reemphasis of tradition in Polynesian music and dance is ethnic identity and its visual manifestation—the preservation and development of indigenous arts as a way of distinguishing indigenous peoples from outsiders. Until the 1960s, many Pacific communities saw the continued erosion of their arts as young people, modernizing and internationalizing themselves, took little interest in their history. Concerned individuals began to take steps not only to preserve...