This is from a welcome ceremony carried out for visitors to Waya, an island located to the west of Fiji. The entire presentation—receipt of the whale’s tooth—is made in Waya dialect.

This is an ancient chant designed to call an ancestral goddess. The chant predates Christ, with the goddess of harvest summoned to inspect the first fruits of the land. This ceremony was performed by the people of Lutu village, Matailobau district in Naitasiri province.

This is a story about a young man named Vugele, his grandmother, and two evil female spirits. The evil spirits were outsmarted and killed by the brilliant wit of Vugele’s grandmother.

This is a legend about Rovarovaicake, an ancestral hero who settled and named places, beaches, rivers, etc. upon arriving at what is known today as Vaturova.

This chant was performed by people from Vuinadi village, Koroalau in Cakaudrove province.

This rhyme is sung for toddlers and focuses on strengthening a child’s fingers and arms.

Pua is the name for a child, and when a baby cries for his/her mother who is busy doing household chores, this rhyme is chanted to calm the baby down for a while.

This is a metaphoric application in that the blade of grass is light and easily blown in the winds. Thus, to make lifting heavy objects or items lighter, the rhyme is sung to ease the lifting process. It rallies the person to complete the heavy task despite the odds.

This is a lullaby that teaches the baby patience, respect, and humility to wait for the fish to arrive and be cooked for their lovely meal. While the songs are loud and clear, the tone is sung as such to reassure the child that the mother is going to return while the grandmother looks after the baby. This lullaby gives us a good reminder of unwavering love and the bond between mother, child, and grandmother.

This chant is about the cheering of two sides competing in a traditional dart-throwing game in Nabiti village, Dreketi district in Macuata province. There is a round of cheering before the game as a means of greeting and to psych up each side.

This rhyme is about the Ambarella fruit. It is often sung when one carries out a task or when choosing between a collection of the same object and that which is the best to take home, e.g., collecting firewood.

This is a vakamalolo, a type of sitting dance performed by women