Culture of Wallis and Futuna

The Wallisian and Futunan cultures share very similar components in language, dance, cuisine and modes of celebration.

[1] Tapa is a popular art form which is made from the "base" of the bark of the mulberry and breadfruit trees.

Efforts to further promote this vocation to export goods beyond the islands to Europe and France has faced problems of high transportation costs.

Idiophones and aerophones are used exclusively; examples of these include slit-gongs (lali), stamping tubes, sticks, rolled mats (fala), sounding boards (lolongo papa), body percussion, Jew's harps (utete), flutes, shell trumpets, and leaf oboes.

[7] Numerous festivals are celebrated in Wallis and Futuna throughout the year; on St Chanel Day, pigs are roasted and placed in the sun, and dancing performances are held.

[10] There are at least 16 types of dances (faive), their differences based upon location, occasion, number of dancers, gender, accompanying instruments, and other modifiers.

[12] Uvea Museum Association holds the first 16mm colour film of dance on Wallis in its collections, which was recorded in 1943.

Kava is brewed in a wooden vessel known as a tana, a multilegged bowl which is also an art form carved in wood, that is much in demand.