The words of the fātele are the first element to be created. The composer brings them (often noted on a piece of paper) to a group rehearsal where they are read, perhaps copied down, and sung until the melody is mastered.

A fātele takes its name from the first line of its text, and from ideas in the text the dance gestures and choreography are developed. In the performance of a fātele the text is given prominence, for the opening section is a slow choral version sometimes without any dance movements. During this first section of a performance I have seen older Tokelauans in the audience lean forward to catch the words of a new fātele, then in subsequent danced sections, when the text is repeated three or more times to accelerating tempo, they will lean back and enjoy the sound and spectacle of music and dance. In composition and performance the text receives a primary emphasis.

But some fātele written for a particular occasion may be largely unintelligible when transferred to another occasion. In the new situation such a fātele is enjoyed as music and dance, and its performance given specific relevance by a speech of intention which precedes it. The meaning of the text, then, may be only one of the features which makes a fātele relevant to an occasion.

This chapter begins with a consideration of the subject of fātele texts, and some examples of this poetic form. The brevity of the Tokelau text means that it can only be thoroughly understood by those familiar with its imagery and background and through the speech which often precedes its performance.

Speech and song are complementary in expressive culture, part of a vigorous oral tradition. In this chapter the setting of the text to melody, the choreography of the text with gestures (chiefly of the hands and arms), and the work of composers creating new fātek are also explored.

Subjects of Fātele Texts

The subjects of fātele texts seem limitless; references to Bible stories, myth and history, current events and activities of daily life all find their way into songs. When I have tried to codify these subjects, by looking for any topics that do not appear in fātele (at different times suggesting beer, cricket, pōkihi, sunrise, a story from a film, war) I have subsequently found a reference for each in a song.