Master in lieu of thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1996.

M.A. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1996

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 196-204).

ch. 1. Introduction and research problem -- ch. 2. Anthropological traditions and theoretical framework -- ch. 3. Anthropology of aesthetics -- ch. 4. Anthropology of dance -- ch. 5. Approaches to the study of the aesthetics of Tongan dance -- ch. 6. Methodology -- ch. 7. Faiva, Haka and Tongan society -- ch. 8. Activity of Haka as a component of the art of Faiva -- ch. 9. Conclusions and implications.

"Dance in Tongan society is embedded in cultural practice ranging from life calamity events to joyful events. Scholars have formally studied dance based on its 'integrational nature' or on the settings of which it is a part. Dance has also been commonly treated as an 'instrumentalist' enterprise allowing us to understand different aspects of Tongan society and culture both on a synchronic and a diachronic dimension(2). I proposed to call this mode of studying dance the investigation based upon the 'referential content of Tongan dance and its motifs'. In contrast, little research focuses on the treatment of dance in and of itself as an "object" of investigation. I proposed to call this mode of looking at dance the study based upon the 'non-referential content of Tongan dance and its motifs'. Thus, the referential and non-referential content of Tongan dance will become apparent as the discussion progresses. More central to the issue under investigation, the study of non-referential content of Tongan dance is the landscape upon which I will be focusing in this thesis"--Page 1.