''Oe Himene'' are formal choral
Tahitian songs, often of religious nature.
Himene is a Tahitian term derived from the English word ''hymn''.
Since the first European contact by Captain
Samuel Wallis
Post-captain, Captain Samuel Wallis (23 April 1728 – 21 January 1795) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who made the first recorded visit by a European navigator to Tahiti.
Biography
Wallis was born at Fenteroon Farm, near Camelfo ...
, English
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
was expanded to the island by missionaries. Himene are based in verse and harmonic structure on Protestant hymns.
'Words have never succeeded in conveying the impression made by this music. Some have said that it was like an ocean wave coming in with growing strength as the voices increased in intensity, breaking and rolling and bounding and then the dying down and disappearing in a long, sustained note. The women's voices carried the melody while the men provided a deep, rhythmic counterpoint, one of them with a great voice sometimes throwing out cries and appeals. All the people rocked back and forth as they sang, many with their eyes shut, entirely lost in the music.' (Quoting Lebeau, 1911.)
[{{Cite book, last=Forman, first=Charles W., url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/7945941, title=The island churches of the South Pacific : emergence in the twentieth century, date=1982, publisher=Orbis Books, isbn=0-88344-218-3, location=Maryknoll, NY, oclc=7945941]
Himene performances take place during festivities as well as a major competition on
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. It is referred to, both legally and commonly, as () in French, though ''la fête nationale'' is also u ...
.
A more raucous set of songs is called
himene tarava
Himene tarava () is a style of traditional Tahitian music.
Music
The style is started by one person singing a stanza. Other singers gradually join in and rhyme with the person. The men sing in a deep voice for punctuation, while the women sing i ...
.
See also
* ''
Imene tuki An imene tuki is a traditional hymn of the Cook Islands. It is accompanied singing noted for a drop and raise in pitch at the end of phrases, and rhythmic nonsensical syllables, comparable to Scat singing. Similar syllables and improvisations are f ...
'' and ''
imene metua Imene reo metua: a Cook Islands / Rarotongan term; (literally 'hymn/s of the parent/ancestor'): they are formal traditional songs with tune and harmony, which are distinguished from the imene tuki An imene tuki is a traditional hymn of the Cook Isl ...
'' of
Rarotonga
Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The Parliament of the Cook Islands, Coo ...
,
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...
.
References
Culture of Tahiti