Narasirato

Narasirato are a group from the Solomon Islands, based in the remote village of Oterama on Malaita. They are farmers and fishermen, and their music is rooted in a cultural tradition that the group traces back many generations. Oterama is founded in the 1980s; before that, the people live in the hills in the surrounding area.

Culture and setting

The village has no telephones, internet or television, and the community is described as protective of its culture from Western influence. Narasirato’s music draws on the Are’are culture and on a belief system called Warato’o, described as the “little seed of goodness in everything”, with inspiration taken from the wisdom of ancestors.

Sound and performance

The group’s performances combine body painting, group dance and a range of handmade instruments, including log drums, conch shells, bamboo thong-o-phones, pan pipes and stomping tubes. Their music is built around a trance-like, bass-led rhythm with melodic elements drawn from traditional native scales, giving it an acoustic, nature-linked character.

Activity

Narasirato have performed at important occasions and celebrations across many of the Solomon Islands’ islands, and the group presents its music as part of a living local tradition rather than a modern commercial style.