Whenever you drive past Lungga during weekends you would probably heard people talking about sisi dance.
Although it’s a DJ music with a dance similar to those of the clubs in Honiara, the presence of Temotu people residing at Lungga best described the dance as sisi.
However, a real sisi dance is totally a different form of dancing method and actions.
In a sisi dance there will be a group of people striking the guitars and singing love songs while dancers will go around the circle and picking girls whom they prefer to dance with.
While picking the girls, the male would stretch out his hand on the female shoulder and dancing round the circle; during this time whispering is taking place.
In Reef Islands many got married in the field of sisi dance.
Since the 90s sisi dance is still a number one dance in any social gathering or in any big occasions. Lately, the church then came in and put a stop in this form of dancing.
Years gone fast and the introduction of clubbing’s music is now evident in every village in Solomon Islands let alone forget their form of music such as sisi dance for Temotu or Bamboo band in the Western province.
To this very day in Reef Islands you can hear elders say what is happening in town is now happening in our village when they refer to loud music with modern instrument and equipment, but who’s to blame?
I was attending the Green Lagoon Day during the Christmas celebration in Reef Islands when my eye got stuck on the people who striking the guitar and the sound of the sisi dance being echoed through the quite lagoon.
I nodded for sometimes as I move close to where they are playing, by the time I pulled out my recorder and start recording them the tune of the love songs is just melodious that I could see some old people and elderly women sing as well.
It was this group of elderly men from Ngadeli the home of sisi dance when all the villages in Reef Islands quite from it.
As I stood by and watch some of the elderly people start dancing away as they are recalling the good olden days but also moved by the music they used to sing and dance with in the fast.
In the New Year’s Eve in Tuwo village I had to call my uncle Chris Low who is a former musician to play a guitar and sing old songs.
It was just him however, to my dismay it attracts other elderly people that took away the songs from him and start singing and chanting away.
I then realise that although young people playing modern music during the New Year celebration in Tuwo; old people still love sisi dance music.
I felt that although church as put a stop on this form of dancing it has a unique celebrity in it which needs to be kept as identity and as part of the culture for the remote Islands.
LAWRENCE NODUA
