The song begins in Samoan and the chorus is in Tokelauan. After the first chorus, the song uses English lyrics. The English languages are changed in international translations, but most dubs of Moana keep the Polynesian lyrics unaltered.
What language is spoken in the song We Know the Way in Moana?
The languages heard in We Know The Way include Samoan (verse 1) and Tokelauan (chorus 1). Tokelauan can be understood by Samoans and Māori so it has a broad reach, and the connotations of singing in English last suggest an 'island first' purposiveness.
One word that's giving me a lot of trouble is "aue," which is sung throughout the song. In Samoan, the word can mean "alas" and "et cetera," while in Maori it means both "woe" and "howl" or "cry." If I had to guess, I would say that "alas" probably makes the most sense within the context of the song.
Although Moana is from the fictional island Motunui some 3,000 years ago, the story and culture of Moana is based on the very real heritage and history of Polynesian islands such as Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, and Tahiti. In fact, once you start looking for ties to Polynesian culture in Moana, it's hard to stop!
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa'i - We Know The Way (From "Moana")
What does Moana Nui a Kiwa mean?
A poetic name for the Pacific Ocean is Te moana nui a Kiwa (The great ocean of Kiwa). Kiwa's first wife, in some of these traditions, was Parawhenuamea, ancestor of streams that flow from the land to the sea and of fresh water generally.
Thanks to Disney, the Polynesian people were put in the limelight. However, there are several points between Moana and real history that do not compare. Maui, for example, is a real demigod in Polynesian culture who works toward the good of humankind.
Maui (/maʊwiː/) is a fictional character from the animated film Moana. Created by directors Ron Clements and John Musker and voiced by Dwayne Johnson, Maui is loosely based on Māui from Hawaiian mythology. In the film, Maui is depicted as a demigod who was abandoned by his parents and eventually adopted by the gods.
Moana—pronounced “moh-AH-nah,” not “MWAH-nah” means “ocean”—and the character is chosen by the sea itself to return the stolen heart of Te Fiti, who turns out to be an island deity (Tahiti, in its various linguistic forms, including Tafiti, is a pan-Polynesian word for any faraway place).
The official language of Monaco is French. Yet the traditional language is munegascu: “a lenga d'i nostri avi”, the tongue of our ancestors. Historically, the Monegasque language has its roots in Genoese.
5) In the film's novelization, Moana's age is given as 16. This makes her the only Disney princess to be voiced by an actress younger than herself. Moana was released on Cravalho's 16th birthday.
Some enjoy the movie but believe Maui should have been portrayed as a warrior. "As a proud Polynesian woman, it's not often that you see a film like Moana come out. It headlines our Pasifika culture, and it's lead by our Polynesian artists in the industry.
In the Disney film Moana, the relationship between Moana and Maui is not romantic because Moana is a sixteen year old girl and Maui is thousands of years old. This is a step up from prior Disney movies.
The story of the demigod Maui stretches across the Pacific and is estimated to be over 1000 years old. Always on a quest to empower mankind, Maui has become an endearing icon to the people of Polynesia.
Clements and Musker set the film at that point in time, about two thousand years ago, on a fictional island in the central Pacific Ocean, which drew inspiration from elements of the real-life island nations of Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga.
The 5 largest ethnic groups in Maui County, HI are White (Non-Hispanic) (29.7%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (28.4%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (18.5%), Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander (Non-Hispanic) (10.7%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (4.99%).
But fans of the beloved animated film are questioning the company's choice to cast Agudong for the role based on her ethnicity and skin complexion. Lilo and her family are Pacific Islanders of Hawaiian descent.
The songs' lyrics are In Foa'I's native tongue of Samoan and Tokelauan as well as English, and originally contained three verses in his native tongue. Foa'I was born in Samoa to Tokelauan and Tuvaluan parents, but immigrated to New Zealand at the age of 9.
Te Fiti does not have a direct translation to the English language. The Hawaiian alphabet does not contain the letters T or F, so the name Te Fiti has no exact meaning. However, some fans believe that the name is a translation of the Maori language from the Eastern Polynesian area, set to mean “far off place.”
