Long before outside contact, iTaukei communities in what is now Fiji used meke—a combined tradition of chant, song, percussion, and choreographed movement—to pass on history, chiefly authority, and community values. Because it is part of oral tradition, the earliest development cannot be pinned to a single date, but it is widely described as pre-Christian and pre-colonial.
Across many settings, meke performance is commonly organized into two cooperating groups: the matana (the dancers) and the vakatara (the singers and percussionists). This structure helps explain how a meke can function as both music and social storytelling, with movement and chant reinforcing each other.
As Christianity spread in Fiji during the 1800s, missionaries and church leaders often pushed communities to change or abandon some pre-Christian ceremonies. In many Pacific settings, this created pressure on dance-and-chant traditions associated with older religion, contributing to shifts in when and how meke was performed.
On 10 October 1874, Fiji was ceded to Britain, beginning a new colonial administration. Over time, colonial governance and Christian institutions influenced what counted as “appropriate” public culture, helping move some meke from chiefly and village contexts into more regulated civic occasions.
Historical accounts describe the dau ni vucu (composer/leader) as a specialist who preserves and creates meke, sometimes understood as receiving songs and movements through spiritual connection or trance. This belief strengthens meke’s authority: the performance is not only entertainment, but also a culturally “licensed” way to speak about events and relationships.
By the late 1800s, European writers described meke as a combined form of song and dance, and noted its poetic and rhythmic features. These publications helped fix certain outsider descriptions of meke, even as iTaukei practice continued to adapt locally.
In 1939, Fiji’s national rugby union team began performing the cibi, a Bauan-origin war-dance style meke, as a pre-match ritual. This linked meke to national representation in international sport and helped make one specific meke form widely recognizable beyond Fiji.
On 10 October 1970, Fiji became independent from British colonial rule, marked by national ceremonies and performances. Independence events helped strengthen meke as a symbol of identity in state settings, alongside other cultural traditions represented at public celebrations.
From 6–20 May 1972, Suva hosted the first Festival of Pacific Arts (now FestPAC), created to support and share Pacific cultural practices. The festival provided a major regional stage for Pacific performance traditions—including Fiji’s meke—at a moment when many leaders were concerned about cultural loss.
In the late 1900s and 2000s, meke increasingly appeared in hotels and tourist programs, often shortened and adapted for visitors’ schedules. This change created both opportunities (paid performance, visibility) and tensions (risk of flattening stories and ritual meanings) compared with village and ceremonial contexts.
Objects used in meke—such as the iri ni meke (dance fan)—are documented, collected, and exhibited by museums in and beyond Fiji. This supports preservation and study, while also raising questions about where cultural objects should be kept and how performance traditions are represented outside their communities.
For the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC 2024) in Honolulu, Fiji’s delegation included traditional meke groups as well as contemporary dance groups, reflecting how present-day practice can draw from older forms while also developing new styles and messages. This illustrates a current “both-and” outcome: meke remains a living tradition used for heritage transmission, public ceremony, and modern cultural creativity.
Fijian Meke Performance Traditions and Contemporary Practice (pre‑contact–present)