What form of traditional Maori song is chanted without musical accompaniment as a classical lament or historical narrative?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Moteatea, traditional poetic chants recording laments, genealogy, historical events, and tribal history
- Step 1: Moteatea are the oldest surviving form of Maori vocal music, characterized by microtonal melodies and intricate poetic rhythms. Step 2. They preserve tribal history, sorrow (waiata tangi), and love (waiata aroha). Answer: Moteatea, traditional poetic chants recording laments, genealogy, historical events, and tribal history. Why not the others: Sir Apirana Ngata transcribed hundreds of classic moteatea in his monumental anthology 'Nga Moteatea'.
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