The fatele or faatele[1] is a traditional dance song of Tuvalu. Dancing songs are the most common type of traditional Tuvaluan song, with other traditional dance styles including fakanau and fakaseasea.[2] Fatele dancers should wear titi fakamanumanu coconut, pulaka leaf skirts, and lakei or manogi accessories such as fau head wreaths or other floral garlands.[3]
The fatele, in its modern form, is performed at community events and to celebrate leaders and other prominent individuals, such as the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in September 2012.[4][5]
Te titi tao is a traditional skirt placed upon another skirt - a titi kaulama - and tops (teuga saka), headbands, armbands, and wristbands continue to be used in performances of the fatele.[6][2]
The modern Tuvaluan style has absorbed many influences and can be described "as a musical microcosm of Polynesia, where contemporary and older styles co-exist".[7]
^ abLinkels, Ad. The Real Music of Paradise. Rough Guides, Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.). p. 221. ISBN1-85828-636-0.
^"Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau Newsletter (TPB: 01/2013)". Royal Visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Tuvalu, 18–19 September 2012. 6 February 2013. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
^Linkels, Ad. (2000). 'The Real Music of Paradise (Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific ed.). Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. pp. 218–229. ISBN1-85828-636-0.