Dance in Rotuma refers to the traditional and modern dance styles performed by the people of the island of

Rotuma Rotuma () is a self-governing heptarchy, generally designated a Local government in Fiji, dependency of Fiji. Rotuma commonly refers to the Rotuma Island, the only permanently inhabited and by far the largest of all the islands in the Rotuma Gro ...

, which became a dependency of

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

in 1881. Despite Rotuma's political and historical links with

, the island's culture shows strong

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

n influences, particularly from

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

and

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

, which, along with Fiji, feature strongly in the history and traditions of the

Rotuman people The Rotumans (Rotuman language, Rotuman: ''Rotuạm''; Fijian language, Fijian: ''Ro'') are a Polynesians, Polynesian ethnic group native to Rotuma, an island group forming part of Fiji. The island itself is a cultural melting pot at the cross ...

. Situated approximately north of Fiji, Rotuma's relatively remote position ensures that the island still maintains major linguistic, historical, and cultural distinctions from its neighbours. However, the main styles of Rotuman dance, the

Tautoga The tautoga (pronounced ) is considered the most formal and restrained style of Rotuman dance, usually seen performed in large festivities or ceremonies (called '' kato'aga'', a term summing up all traditional Rotuman ceremonies), or in public o ...

, the Mak Sa'moa and the Mak Rarotoga, show clearer influence from neighbouring cultures than most facets of the culture.

References

See also