MW6-081 - Tolai "Tubuan" Songs (Tapialai) at Matamatam, Vunamurmur, Kokopo

Tape#1: Traditional Tolai Ceremony "Matamatam" of Tubuan Society Song and Dance The "Tapialai" tubuan songs are inspired from traditional belief system where the songs composed with the the design of costumes reflect the spirit of the tubuan dance performers in traditional dancing at the festivals or "balaguan". The "matamatam" ceremony honours all the deceased of the clan. The tubuans are masked figures raised to dance at these ceremony and accompanied with the "dukduk". Both masked figures are central spirit figures of the secret male society of tubuans (female) and and dukduks (male). The traditional musical instruments used for sounds and rhythms for singing and dancing of the tubuan performers are in the beating of drums and gongs namely and "garamut" , "kundu which are slit log drum or hollow wood drum, "pakupak", a bamboo-slit gong and "tidir", a flat bamboo piece gong. The garamut mainly in welcome and ending the ceremony with the other instruments for the sone and dance although garamut can be occasionally during to add extra drums beating and background to the singing and rhythms. These ceremonies associated with the "tubuan" involves exchanges of Tolai shell money or "tabu" which has been a ritual and of symbolic significance in these ceremonies of Tolai culture linking the present and past generations. (Steven Gagau, March 2019). Language as given: