History of Music in Kiribati

Kiribati music has been less affected by the western tradition than most other Pacific island traditions, because Europeans did not come to Kiribati until 1892. The Kiribati national anthem is known as Teira kani Kiribati (stand Kiribati) which is composed by Urium Tamuera loteba and this was adopted during the independent in the year 1979.

source of picture: www.festivalofsacredmusic.org 

The folk music of Kiribati is generally based around chanting or other types of vocalizing, followed by body drumming. Public representations in the current Kiribati are generally performed by a seated chorus followed by a guitar. Though, during the formal performances of the standing dance (which is the Te Kaimatoa) or the hip dance (known as Te Buki), which is a wooden box that is used as a drumming instruments, this box is built so as to give a hollow echoing tone when struck at the same time by a chorus of men sitting around it.

The traditional songs are often a love-themed, but also there are religious, patriotic, war, competitive, children’s and wedding songs. It also has stick dances that accompany the legends and semi-historical stories. These stick dances or the tirere (which is pronounced as seerere) are only performed during an important occasions, Bata Teinamati gas been described as one of the Kiribatio’s most popular artists.