Soke (dance) - Lyrics

Lyrics

There are a few songs which will be recited at a sōkē, usually when the performers are still standing still. When the refrain is sung they hit their sticks as long as the refrain is repeated, and when finished they stand still again for the rest of the song. There are a few refrains like 'hina hea' and 'sōkē'. In fact the original name of the dance is rather eke and not sōkē. But nowadays in Tonga it is better known by this refrain. However on Wallis and Futuna it is still known by its original name.

Part from the ʻUvean (Wallis island) eke, which was already known before 1932 and was performed by the ʻUvean community in Suva at the South pacific festival of 1972:

Pongipongi tuʻu te nuanua i sakē moʻo teketi mai te fanālua i sakē e ōmai ai naʻi mātuʻa i sakē o fehuki pē ko fea ia Lavelua i sakē pea tala age leva naua i sakē e ʻafio i Hahake Lavelua i sakē

which translates as: In the morning there is a rainbow hurray - and a twomaster appears hurray - bringing these both gentlemen hurray - who ask where Lavelua is hurray - whereupon they two are told hurray - king Lavelua reigns in Hahake hurray. The two gentlemen named seem to be Pierre Chanel and Marie Nizier, who were sent to Futuna by father Bataillon (see below).

Part from the Maʻufanga (Tonga) sōkē:

Sōkē! he siale toli nofo au ta tuia sōkē lupe fau fālelé matangi angi pea moé ʻatu ē! langa mai fohé isakē, isakē, isakē, isakē io!

Siale-toli-nofo means gardenia-picked-while-sitting-down most likely a contribution from Tafahi, where on the road to the top of the mountain Piu-ʻo-Tafahi there grows a gardenia with its branches so low over the path that you can pick the flowers with no effort. The place is called Pua-toli-nofo (flower picked sitting down).

Most of the words of the song are quite unintelligeable in modern Tongan, but some words (seafaring terms, like matangi angi pea moe, the wind blows and then sleeps) and names (like Lavelua and Futuna) can be distinguished which give a clue to its origin. Also the ʻUvean and Futunan versions are in such old language that it is not clear which language it is. The two pieces above, however, are rather ʻUvean.