Niue costume (male dance costume)

This is a Niue male dance costumethat was collected at the ASB Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, or Polyfest, which began in 1975 and is held in Auckland in March every year. In 2005, over 8000 competing students from more than fifty schools celebrated the festival's theme: 'Through unity, harmony will grow'. Polyfest involves five core competing groups - New Zealand Māori, Samoan, Tongan, Cook Islands, and Niuean - performing simultaneously on five stages.

Otahuhu College

This costume was worn by Diarmid Chris Ueatama Tanakiwho was ameber ofOtahuhu College's Niue group that performed at the Polyfest in 2005. The group is made up of both male and female performers and this costume is an example of what the male dancers wore. It is comprised of a two-piece malo (waist-cloth) with a print of the school's logo, a kahoa hihi (shells necklace) and a katoua (cleaving weapon). All the costumes were made by one of the student's parents, except for the katoua, which were made by the male students.

Significance

The costumes' blue and gold/yellow colours were chosen because they are representative of Niue's national colours. Koli and takalo Otahuhu College's performance was made up of five dance items. These took three to four weeks for the students to learn, under two tutors. The generic term for dance in Niue is koli, and there are various dance genres. This costume was for the takalo, which is usually performed by male dancers, and is often referred to as a war dance. It has roots in the formal challenge issued by an armed group to an enemy, stranger or high-ranking visitor.