Music of Tokelau

It is dominated by communal choral activity in harmony, with percussive accompaniment including log drums (pate), pokihi (wooden box) and apa (biscuit tin).

Pokihi (mat covered boxes) is another widely seen instrument used in fatele music, which was a post European innovation seen even in 1921.

[1] Alan Thomas was the first person to study the music of Tokelau in 1980s and submit a Master of Arts thesis on fatele in 1986.

The performances are held in an atmosphere of fun and humor and are conducted till the elders in the group order it be stopped.

[2] Each song begins with a stanza that is repeated up to a half-dozen times, followed by increased pitch and tempo near the end of the piece.

One such pulotu who is popular among the public is Ihaia, who is not only a singer but also carpenter and fisherman, with oratory skills blended with humour.

[1] Drums called pasu or pabu were present in 1841 at the time of the United States Exploring Expedition, but are no longer used or even remembered.

[citation needed] Considered unusual for Western Polynesia, the instrument was cylindrical in frame, upright in its playing position, crafted of shark's skin, and beaten with two sticks.

[1] New Zealand-based band Te Vaka is composed of Tokelauans living in New Zealand, and also has members from Tuvalu and Samoa.