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Tokelau Lifestyle and Culture

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Tokelau is a largely Christian Island and is largely influenced by Christian beliefs. Christianity forms an integral part of the everyday life of Tokelauans. Tokelauan lifestyle is focused on family and community. All formal affairs in the villages are handled by councils of elders, and family representatives

General etiquette

Here are a few things you should note in terms of general etiquette in Tokelau. Tokelau’s population is Christian and the day of worship must be respected. People are encouraged to dress modestly around elders. Aggressive and violent behavior is not encouraged.

Religion

Tokelau is a predominantly Christian place and it plays a significant role in the way of life. The Congregational Christian Church makes up 50.4% of the population, 38.7% Catholic, and 5.9% Presbyterian, and 4.2% other Christian, and 0.8% unspecified.

Food and cuisine

Food forms a major part of Tokelauan daily life. Tokelauan cuisine is made with so much heart and skill, with recipes passed down from generations and other recipes adopted from other islands.  Popular Tokelauan dishes include:

Music

Traditional Tokelauan music is dominated by choral elements with accompaniments such as percussions including log drums (pate), wooden boxes (pohiki), and biscuit tins (apa).

Other instruments include a Jews harp (utete), flute (fagufagu), leaf Whizzer (ligoligo), and leaf oboe (pu), to mention but a few. One popular Tokelauan music group is Te Vaka.

Sport

Tokelau is not affiliated with most international sports organizations and rarely takes part in international events except the Pacific Games.

Tokelau won its first-ever gold medals at the 2007 Pacific Games in Apia, winning three gold, a silver, and a bronze medal in lawn bowling. Other sporting codes include table tennis, rugby sevens, netball, and kilikiti, and there is a two levels football league.

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