Day 2/3 of Tongan Language Week

 Hello everyone, this will be my day2/3 activities around Tongan language week. This two activity is quite an interesting one since I learned that there are only 17 letters in Tongan alphabet, while in another hand in Maori there is only 15 letter in the alphabet. For day 2, I was actually asked to make a video of me singing the alphabet since I was too shy to do it and some of their words were too difficult to pronounce. So what I did was to sing the whole song by myself even though I had a had time doing it. Instead of making a video, I made something that will still relate to it, like researching about the alphabet and what's the difference between the Maori and Tonga. While on day 3 I learned more about their traditional dances, like example the most famous traditional dance is called the Lakalaka it expresses the history and the legends of Tonga. 

Day 2: 

The Māori alphabet

The Maori alphabet consists of 15 letters:

• eight consonants: h, k, m, n, p, r, t, w
• two digraphs, representing single sounds: ng, wh
• five vowels: a, e, i, o, u

The vows may be brief or long. Contemporary conventions are the macron: ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, lengthy vow. Long vowels have historically not been noted or signified by two vowels, aa, ee, ii, oo, uu, a system currently used in the 2000s by the Waikatans.

In New Zealand, there are three main dialects; East North Island, West North Island, and South Māori Island. Māori South Island possibly comes from Māori Island in the East of the North. Moriori from the Chatham Islands spoken by Moriori may, in turn, originate from the Māori South Island. 

In many places, different pronunciations are found. The 'ng' is pronounced by Ngāi Túhoe as 'n' whereas the 'ng' is substituted by the 'k.' The 'wh' is pronounced as 'w' and is a glowing stop in the Whanganui and Taranaki tribes. The 'wh' in 'whaka' is pronounced in certain parts of the northern country as 'h' so that 'whakahaere' is like 'hakahaere.'

Motuʼaleá Faka-Tonga

• 17 letters in the Tongan alphabet.
• 5 vowels; a-e-i-o-u
• 12 consonants; f-h-k-l-m-n-ng-p-s-t-v- ‘
• pronouncing the consonants you add ʻaʼ to the end – Fa-Ha-Ka-La-Ma-Na-NGa-Pa-Sa-Ta-Va
• Fakaʻua (glottal stop) is considered a consonant and the last letter in the Tongan alphabet

In the early 19th century, Tongan was written by the missionaries using several alphabetic systems. The first book in Tongan was William Mariner's 1817 grammar and dictionary of the Tongan language. In 1943 the Privy Council of Tonga adopted the current system. A variety of weekly and monthly periodicals are available in Tongan and certain religious works books and translations, such as The Bible.

Day 3:

The Me'etu'upaki is an old group Tongan dance, already reported by early navigators like Captain Cook. The Tongan dance is a dance by an ancient group. The dance standing with paddles. This dance has typically been meant for guys, even if women do not have enough men. The (me'etu'upaki) looks like a battle dance but is done in contrast with arms with small symbolic paddles. Most actions have paddles on his hands, but a good and bad performance depends on the small and delicate movements in his head and legs. The paddles do not serve as gestures, but they are turned, moved on and down, or to the left. The dancers start in one row, perhaps in two, when there are many, and occasionally the positions are separated into chaotic movements, but they return to perfect unity at the finish.

The otuhaka (first of all: row-of-dancing) is a traditional Tongan-based group dance with a notable Sâmoan influence, in which dancers sit down and perform their gestures with their arms exclusively. 

In the beginning, the song was performed by the older women, mainly women, who should be too old to stand. They were mainly ladies. Very commonly, a Úla, performed by her (standing) daughters and some young girls, mainly ladies, was followed by a Úla. In another method, the Otuhaka was said to occur serenely and delicately early in the morning to awaken the King. Traditionally, music consists of batting the tafua bamboos, rolling in a mat, only to preserve the beat.

The Ma'ulu'ulu is a traditional Tongan dance performed by a seated group of men and women; the dance style is the straight follow-up of the Tongan Ancient the Tongan which was synthesized in the 19th century with the Samoan maulu'ulu. The Maulu'ulu was one of the various dance forms (e.g. Taualuga) and choral song styles (e.g. 'otuhaka), introduced by cultural spread to the Kingdom of Tonga in the late 19th century. The Samoan maulu'ulu currently differs from the Tongan Ma'ulu'ulu considerably from their technical and choreographical differences, yet the similar origins remain celebrated.

The maulu'ulu was one of several dance forms (such as Taualuga) and choral singing styles (such as 'otuhaka) that were introduced into the Kingdom of Tonga in the late nineteenth century through cultural diffusion. Although their common roots are still acknowledged, there is currently a significant technique and choreography between the Samoan and Tongan maulu'ulu.

The tau'olunga is a dance for unmarried young women, particularly to perform on their wedding day. A married couple or an older woman performing a tau'olunga is unusual, but not impossible. It is also uncommon to see a man perform the dance, but he can increase the dancing girl's movements to highlight her beauty. Regardless of these exceptions, the tau'olunga can be performed at any special event. It is usually performed by a small group of girls, up to ten or more, although it can also be done solo. Older women's involvement is typically limited to handclaps to the beat of the song. The tu'ulafale is the name given to this position.

The Sipi Tau, the pre-game challenge of the Tonga rugby union national team, was written by King Tama Tu'i Tupou IV in 1994, but its origins may be traced back much further. There were no problems in Tonga before the 1800s. In fact, chatting was regarded as a sign of weakness in warfare. However, in the nineteenth century, a war dance from the neighboring Wallis and Futuna Islands was introduced, and Tonga rapidly seized it. The Tongan rugby squad has used numerous different Sipi Tau over the years, however, it is unknown when they were initially used in rugby. The most recent was written to commemorate a brief but successful trip to New Zealand in 1994. The existing expressions were first utilized.

Soke or eke is a Tongan group dance in which the performers bash sticks against each other to the beat of a drum. It shares some aspects with the English Morris dance, but it is a completely separate development. The entire performance, as with other Tongan dances, is designed to enchant the audience and delight the chiefs. There is actually no hidden agenda.