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Music and dancing
An indigenous art form is the Meke, which may incorporate the seasea (women's
fan dance) or a make wesi (men's spear dance). It is usually a narrative of an
important event such as a war, a chiefly installation, or even a scandal. Some
mekes are generations old, and form an important part of Fiji's oral history. In
olden times, the meke was considered to be an oracle from the gods, and the Dau
ni vucu, or composer, would often go into a trance before a performance. Others
are modern, composed for a particular event, much as a poet laureate might write
a poem to celebrate an event in a Western country.
Each district of Fiji has its own form of meke, performed in the local dialect.
Costume
The traditional attire was loin cloths for men and grass skirts for women.
Skirts were short for single women, and long for married women, with girls
wearing virgin locks before marriage. Most had the lower parts of their bodies
decorated with tattoos. Chiefs dressed more elaborately.
Modern Fiji's national dress is the sulu, which resembles a skirt. It is
commonly worn by both men a women. Many are elaborately decorated with patterns
and designs. Many men, especially in urban areas, also have sulus tailored as
part of their suit. Many will wear a shirt with a western-style collar, tie, and
jacket, with a matching sulu and sandals. Even the military uniforms have
incorporated the sulu as part of their ceremonial dress. Trousers are rarely
worn by indigenous Fijian men.
Women usually wear a multi-layered Tapa cloth on formal occasions. A blouse made
of cotton, silk, or satin, of often worn on top. On special occasions, women
often wear a tapa sheath across the chest, rather than a blouse. On other
occasions, women may be dressed in a chamba, also known as a sulu I ra, a sulu
with a specially crafted top.
There are many regional variations throughout Fiji. Residents of the village of
Dama, in Bua Province, wear finely woven mats called kuta, made from a reed.
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