What Instruments Are Used in Polynesian Music?

Polynesian music is a blend of the music of many Pacific islands. Although each island has its own sound and uses specific instruments to achieve that sound, there are some instruments which are common to all music in Polynesia.

A variety of instruments are used in Polynesian music:

• Slit drum: This is a drum that resembles a canoe.
• Bamboo nose flute: It is made from a single section of bamboo and has a hole for the nose breath and one to four additional holes to change the pitch. It can be from 10 to 21 inches long, was primarily used for courting, but also accompanied other songs and dances.      
• Jaw harp or Jew’s harp: This instrument is held against the teeth and lips and plucked with the fingers. It has nothing to do with Jews, as it originated in China and is one of the oldest instruments.  
• Ukulele: This is a small, four-stringed guitar around 24 inches long. 
• Lava pebbles: These are pebbles of lava used as castanets by striking them together.
• Shell trumpet: Conch shells are generally used as a wind instrument.
• Other instruments used are: guitars, gourds, rattles, and tapping sticks.
• Rhythm instruments can also include slapping the knees and clapping.

Elements of Polynesian Music

The word Polynesia comes from the Greek word meaning “many islands”.  Polynesia is a large group of islands and chains of islands in the Pacific.  It includes Hawaii, New Zealand, and Easter Island.  Each area has its own style of music and other countries influenced some of them. Some of the musical styles are calm and relaxing, while others are spirited and exciting.  

Most Polynesian music is chanting and singing and has elaborate melodies. Many songs are traditional going back hundreds of years and because of this, many tell stories about the past culture. For example, the Hawaiian hula, which was created by Polynesians in Hawaii, is performed with a chant song. Hymns were brought to Polynesia by American and European missionaries. These had a big impact on the music of Polynesia. 

In Polynesian music, the lyrics are the most important part. The melody, harmony, rhythms, and even a dance are considered secondary to the words and are only accompaniment. Since words are at the core of the music, the other parts of music are like decorations for the lyrics.

The dances mostly consist of hand movements that serve to draw the attention of the audience to certain words in the song. Some dances are performed sitting down. Melodies can be illustrated by hip and hand movements, and the beats are emphasized by clapping your hands or stamping your feet. Of course, we must not forget the colorful costumes that are worn to enhance the visual pleasure of a performance.  

Islands of Polynesia

The word Polynesia was first used in 1756 by Charles de Brosses to refer to all the islands in the Pacific. Jules Dumont d’Urville, while lecturing to the Geographical Society of Paris in 1831, proposed that it be restricted to a certain area.  Therefore, Polynesia is a roughly triangular shaped region containing over 1000 islands in the central and southern part of the Pacific. Besides Hawaii, New Zealand, and Easter Island, some of the other main islands are Samoa, French Polynesia, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Niue, Tokelau, and Wallis and Futuna. 

Since Polynesia has an island culture, certain skills were essential, like farming, fishing, navigation, and making canoes. If famine was caused by a storm surge, drought, volcano, or war, then fishing would have to sustain the village.  Navigators were held in high regard and each village had a house of navigation with a canoe building area.