Ron Clements and John Musker correctly represent Polynesian Culture in their 2016 film, Moana. Moana was nominated for and won numerous awards. It was nominated for both the ‘Best Animated Feature Film of the Year’ and the ‘Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)’ awards in the 2017 Oscars. The film is about a girl called Moana from the island of Motunui who has a desire to be on the water. After finding out her ancestors were voyagers, she goes on an adventure to find Maui, a demi-god. He can restore Te Fiti’s heart, which he had stolen 1000 years before, and restore life to the surrounding islands. This essay will discuss the traditional culture shown in Moana as well as the traditional culture in the Polynesian
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In Moana, the characters are shown wearing clothing that is very traditional. All clothing is a beige colour with touches of red. When Moana sees her voyaging ancestors on the seas they wore beige and green instead of red. The food most mentioned in the film is fish, coconuts, and chicken. The coconuts are not only used for food though. In the song Where You Are, Moana’s father, Tui the chief, talks about coconuts being a resource that is used for everything. “We use each part of the coconut; that’s all we need; we make our nets from the fibres; the water is sweet inside; we use the leaves to build fires; we cook up the meat inside.” This is proof that in the film the characters are very resourceful and make use of everything they own. The song Where You Are also shows traditional dancers in the background and includes the line “The dancers are practising; they dance to an ancient song.” To give authenticity to Moana, Clements and Musker use …show more content…
Traditional Polynesian clothing is commonly a beige skirt with a red or green feature, such as a headpiece. It is also common to see necklaces and tattoos. The tattoos show status in the community, family history, and sexual maturity. The food in traditional Polynesian culture is usually seafood and horticulture. Traditionally, food was harvested from trees and bushes, and then shared across the community. Traditional (Fijian) transportation across seas was done on boats called camakau. This allowed people to reach different islands in Polynesia and beyond. Traditional Polynesian dances are very important in the community but more so in some regions than others. For example, traditional Hawaiian dancing, the hula is very important to their culture. The hula began by men and women dancing to honour the goddesses Pele and Laka. In the Polynesian region, the music varies. That said, there is usually pate, a drum-like percussion instrument. This drum can vary in sound depending on the size of the drum. The lyrics of songs are in the local native languages. Polynesian regions all carry different traditions throughout generations. These include their songs, dances, rituals, ceremonies, different customs and way of life. The community in traditional Polynesia has a social hierarchy with a powerful chief at the top. The chief is thought to have a type of
In Moana, the characters are shown wearing clothing that is very traditional. All clothing is a beige colour with touches of red. When Moana sees her voyaging ancestors on the seas they wore beige and green instead of red. The food most mentioned in the film is fish, coconuts, and chicken. The coconuts are not only used for food though. In the song Where You Are, Moana’s father, Tui the chief, talks about coconuts being a resource that is used for everything. “We use each part of the coconut; that’s all we need; we make our nets from the fibres; the water is sweet inside; we use the leaves to build fires; we cook up the meat inside.” This is proof that in the film the characters are very resourceful and make use of everything they own. The song Where You Are also shows traditional dancers in the background and includes the line “The dancers are practising; they dance to an ancient song.” To give authenticity to Moana, Clements and Musker use …show more content…
Traditional Polynesian clothing is commonly a beige skirt with a red or green feature, such as a headpiece. It is also common to see necklaces and tattoos. The tattoos show status in the community, family history, and sexual maturity. The food in traditional Polynesian culture is usually seafood and horticulture. Traditionally, food was harvested from trees and bushes, and then shared across the community. Traditional (Fijian) transportation across seas was done on boats called camakau. This allowed people to reach different islands in Polynesia and beyond. Traditional Polynesian dances are very important in the community but more so in some regions than others. For example, traditional Hawaiian dancing, the hula is very important to their culture. The hula began by men and women dancing to honour the goddesses Pele and Laka. In the Polynesian region, the music varies. That said, there is usually pate, a drum-like percussion instrument. This drum can vary in sound depending on the size of the drum. The lyrics of songs are in the local native languages. Polynesian regions all carry different traditions throughout generations. These include their songs, dances, rituals, ceremonies, different customs and way of life. The community in traditional Polynesia has a social hierarchy with a powerful chief at the top. The chief is thought to have a type of