book and media reviews 223 both the script and visuals. The film- ing vocal blends of the schoolchildren makers are clearly concerned that tra- at their morning assembly or the con- ditional medicines are undervalued gregation at their religious services. and at risk of loss due to rapid mod- To try to quench my thirst for this ernization. While I disagree with their music since leaving Fiji, I’ve down- analytical perspective, I agree with loaded favorite new renditions from their final argument, that traditional the Internet, begged friends to send medicines and healers should be cd releases, and even incorporated understood as a significant aspect of representative samples into the reper- Tongan culture writ large, as impor- toire of my Honolulu-based Pan- tant in the future as in the past. I also Pacific group, the kava boys band. agree that Tongan traditional practices That being said, I admit that I agreed are immensely robust when it comes to write this review with a hope of to “existing alongside the new.” Ulti- sharing the feelings that Fijian music mately, and regardless of the caveats inspires in me through writing about offered here, this film is a must-have a new compilation of what I knew as for anyone wishing to teach about Fijian music. But, to my surprise, the Tonga, or about medical anthropology mesmerizing and inspirational music in Oceania. While not fulfilling the of Wasawasa by Sailasa Tora is unlike ideal of the perfect medical anthropo- anything, Fijian or otherwise, that I logical or ethnographic film, it is still have ever heard before. very good, certainly the best that we Though produced by New Sounds have available. Oceania (the new recording studio of heather young leslie the Oceania Centre for Arts and Cul- ture at the University of the South University of Hawai‘i, Mänoa Pacific in Suva), Wasawasa might be *** regarded by some as neither “new sounds” nor “sounds Oceania.” Under Wasawasa. 2002. Composed and the group name Kabe in the year recorded by Sailasa Tora. Produced 2000, Sailasa Tora released an album by New Sounds Oceania, entitled Kacikaci Vakatama, which with assistance included songs found on Wasawasa from the Oceania Centre for Arts and such as “Kacikaci Vakatama,” “Wasa- Culture, University of the South wasa,” and “Na Vatu Kwe” (per Pacific, Suva. sag 01/995 660. 1cd, arTok, the Pacific Arts Online website: 42 minutes, 12 tracks, 8-page booklet 20 Sep 2000). plus f$10 shipping. Subsequently, George “Fiji” Veikoso released a cover version of “Na Vatu I have a special place in my heart for Kwe” as the opening chant on his Fijian music—the guitar-driven har- Transitions cd. But, while songs on monies sung around the kava bowl in Wasawasa may be recognizable from the village or their modern, keyboard- previous releases, the type of music driven, urban club descendants; the itself strikes the ear as a unique new percussion-inspired chants accompa- blend of sounds. nying the meke dance; and the uplift- Regarding the origins of these 224 the contemporary pacific • spring 2004 sounds, many might not at first think the incorporation of pan flutes and the that they are particularly those of blending of traditional chanting with Oceania. After hearing Sailasa Tora four-part harmonies. The combination perform live in Suva, one friend of of pan flutes and three-beat percussion mine remarked that it reminded her evoke an almost Native American of hearing lullabies sung in Fijian. Per feeling, but Tora has explained that the description of my initial surprise these sounds are the result of many above, I also had difficulty in attempts months of research of the indigenous to categorize the music. Certainly the music of villages of Fiji and other lyrics are in the Fijian language and South Pacific islands (arTok, 20 Sep often sound much like Fijian chants. 2000). Though many would associate The percussion also frequently follows pan flutes with some South American a style distinctive to the Pacific. But I music and also with the Solomon found myself initially classifying some Islands, Tora was surprised to find songs more as ambient, ethno-tribal, that their use had a history in Fiji. or acoustic New Age music. I do not Likewise, although four-part harmony wish to discourage those who, like is used extensively, he also adds ele- me, have acquired some distaste for ments from traditional meke dance particular artists in this vast genre. chanting, which is dominated by However, as New Age music has been minor notes (arTok, 20 Sep 2000). popularly described as having sooth- Through his research and quest to ing forms that caress the mind, com- blend old with new, he thus found fort the heart, and awaken the spirit, ways to utilize pan flutes and tradi- this description does seem to fit both tional chanting to augment contem- musical and lyrical expression on porary elements of his music. Wasawasa. From blasts of winds and This incorporation of elements of chirps of birds in the opening title music from the past and present to song through subsequent pours of rain create a new composite sound fits sticks, beats of the lali drum, pulses of well with the messages of the lyrics. other percussion, and patterns of Alternating vocalists make pleas for acoustic guitar and keyboard, the people today to be wary of the treach- music surrounds and pulls emotions. erous temptations and disturbances Likewise, the sometimes haunting, of modernity and remain mindful of sometimes lilting, and sometimes the prevailing indigenous wisdom of driving vocal qualities blend with the forefathers in such qualities as the musical expression to nurture the resourcefulness, resilience, caring, mind, heart, and spirit. So, although listening, understanding, forgiveness, I’m not certain of the content of all love, self-control, and faith in God. other artists recording in Fiji, those But, as summarized in the notes to who seek categorization might be “Veigauna Talei,” “Yesterday is gone, satisfied to believe that Sailasa Tora tomorrow has its own share of prob- has established a new subgenre called lems—what matters is now!” (For Fijian New Age music. those who are not adept in the Fijian One especially intriguing element language but wish to know the lyrics of this surreal quality of the music is that accompany the musical feeling, book and media reviews 225 a brief English language summary of Gauguin’s Zombie, an installation by each song is provided on the first page Debra Drexler at the Honolulu Acad- of the liner notes.) Like his efforts in emy of Arts, 5 September–27 October researching and finding ways to incor- 2002, and at the Maui Arts and Cul- porate lost or buried traditional musi- tural Center’s Shaefer International cal qualities into contemporary music, Gallery, 3 May–15 June 2003. Tora’s lyrics plead with people to dig deep to find ways to do so in contem- The life of artist Paul Gauguin porary society as well. As he expressed (1848–1903) retains a mythic quality, it, “The past is just like today, we though its once-scandalous aspects have dark and light together, you now seem only draped with a certain know. You’ve just got to reach into late-nineteenth-century nostalgia. The the light and leave the dark. That’s early life of Gauguin, born in Paris, what I’ve done with the music” included years living in South Amer- (arTok, 20 Sep 2000). ica and working as a seaman. He As before, I will always have a spe- settled in Paris as a stockbroker’s cial place in my heart for Fijian music agent, became a friend of several of —and now a special part of that place the Impressionist painters and began is for a new subgenre inspired by the to paint on his own, first exhibiting music of Sailasa Tora. Like his lyrical with the group in 1881. He left his call to continually blend traditional family and struggled to make a living and contemporary influences without as a full-time artist, eventually settling the loss of beneficial attributes of in an artist’s colony in Brittany in both, this music should not be dis- 1887. The changes in his style, from a missed as either threatening or inferior more subdued palette to one enriched to the more traditional and other pre- with color, from naturalism to sym- vailing contemporary sounds. In terms bolism, may be seen to parallel an of enjoyment, it is a rewarding addi- increasingly intense search for an tion to any music collection, and can anchor of spirituality, which he sought be appreciated privately while trying first among the Breton folk, and later to write or simply relax. And, as truly among the natives of Tahiti, the “New Sounds Oceania,” it is a com- French colony he first visited in 1891 plimentary addition to Sailasa Tora’s in his quest to be free of the bonds of pioneering work augmenting other civilization. He returned to Paris in current Fijian musical practice and 1893, enjoying the celebrity following inspiring both producers and con- the publication of his diary Noa Noa, sumers of music to continue to evalu- but returned in 1895 to the South Seas ate modifications to tradition. where he lived out his life on increas- bob alexander ingly remote islands, fretful at the relentless encroachment of European East-West Center, Honolulu influence. Reading this life, set in an *** era of emergent modernity, from the perspective of the intervening century, we may appreciate its poignancy, but we are also inclined to see in Gauguin