Hulohula – Tongan Dance

I’m going to start each post with a Tongan word to help with my vocabulary as well as share a little bit of culture.

I didn’t make it to Hunga this past weekend. We had a putu in Okoa so I spent the night with my community. I went to the church around 9:00 in the evening, sat on the floor and sang with my village. I didn’t have to kiss the body this time which was a nice relief. I ate my food from a plastic bag that was served at tea. I sat around and talked with everyone from my village, so I know they were happy that I stayed to give my respects. I walked home around 1:30 in the morning and was sung to sleep. The hymns continued all through the night.
I tried to catch a later boat to Hunga, but was unsuccessful. There is no formal boat to the outer islands so I tried my hand at catching a fishing boat. You either spend hours waiting around at the wharf or just missing the boat (which I’m good at). So another volunteer spent the weekend at my house. She lives on a different outer island, but was coming to Hunga with me. We had a wonderful lazy weekend and fixed some delicious food. My 8 year old brother ate with us one night and laughed the entire time at our Mexican burritos. It’s nice to expose people to new things.
Last night I went to a talent show in town. There were many acts that I thought were bad, a few that were so so, and one that was really good. I had a great time watching the crowds reaction. Tongans can be vocal. There is a typical Tongan style of dancing that I have grown to love. It consists of a nod of the head, a march of the feet, and a bounce to the hips. I find it rubbing off on me and affecting my own style of dance. I also hear music here that I haven’t heard in years. I find myself singing to ‘West Virginia’ on the radio. What is happening to me?

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I’m thankful for having all of you in my life and for all the support I’ve received. Happy Birthday to you Gillian. I miss you and hope your day is great.

Love,
Adrianne