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There is also the muluulu, Laumei, and Tautasi. Traditional Samoan dance is arguably the one area of Samoan culture that has not been touched by Western Civilization. [15] The third component was the hair ornament, essentially a large wig fashioned from the hair of female relatives. The "lafo" custom, however, does not share the fundraising origins of money dances, although it does reflect the former tradition of presenting fine mats and tapa cloth at festive occasions that were concluded with the taualuga.[25]. Photos and accounts from the first European visitors to Samoa mention taupou who wore ornate garlands of flowers, leaves and ferns around their heads, as well as taupou and manaia who wore tall, delicately carved combs ("selu") in their hair for public appearances. The bride changes into her second wedding gown and performs a traditional Samoan dance (Taualuga) for the guests. In earlier times, high chiefs or matais performed this special dance but today it is performed by a taupou . The one-piece construction and gawdy decorations of most modern tuiga are a far cry from the stately, natural multi-piece tuiga of old Samoa. The taupou was raised from youth in the arts of hospitality, cultural rituals and ceremonies, chiefly protocol and demeanor, and the intricacies of the fine arts of dancing, the pinnacle of which was the taualuga.[7]. The manaia could perform the Taualuga if the High Chief had no daughters, but the performance of a chief's son was often in jest; a manaia's performance was not held to the same strict standards of elegance and refinement required of a taupou and did not hold the same sociocultural significance of that of the taupou. The hair was washed in salt water and dyed with coral lime and citrus juice to give the hair a reddish-brown color, and the strands were tied together to form the "ie lau'ulu" which was tied to the top of the cone that the "lave" faceplate was tied to. It also explores the role played by traditional Samoan dance in the creation and expression of this composite concept of self. Tuiga - A Tuiga is a Samoan traditional headpiece made of flowers, shells, human hair and three recognizable spikes on the crown. 8th April, 2022. Share this item. Often two or more "pale fuiono" were tied around the wearer's forehead. The daughter of a high chief in a village is known as a taupou when they perform public ceremonial roles; the male equivalent is the manaia. While taupou and manaia did indeed dance and twirl war clubs ("anava") when leading processions or concluding performances this segment should not be misconstrued as a component of the taualuga. The prizemoney (fakapale) is a reward for the girl, unless, as often is the case, the dance is performed as part of a fundraising or for a special occasion. Today virginity is not necessarily a prerequisite and although older adults and even teen-moms are occasionally seen performing the final dance, a strong preference for unmarried performers is still the norm. Traditional Samoan dance is arguably the one area of Samoan culture that has not been touched by Western Civilization. Each village in Samoa is autonomous and led by a council of matai referred to as the 'village fono.' Coconut midribs ("tuaniu") wrapped with strips of tapa cloth were secured to a faceplate ("lave") made of turtle shell in such a way that the midribs stood upright when the faceplate was tied to the hair above the forehead; the hair was pulled upward into a tight topknot called the "foga" which was then tightly wrapped with tapa into a stiff cone to which the faceplate was tied. Samoan dance - Cultural dance - Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand