The kailao is a cultural dance from the South Pacific country of Tonga. It originates from Wallis and Futuna.
Tonga College students performing a kailao for the King's 70th birthday (1988)
The Tonga national rugby union team performing the Sipi Tau before a match
Tonga starting the Sipi Tau before a match in 2022
The Tonga national rugby league team performing the Sipi Tau before a match in 2008
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about 750 km2 (290 sq mi), scattered over 700,000 km2 (270,000 sq mi) in the southern Pacific Ocean. As of 2021, according to Johnson's Tribune, Tonga has a population of 104,494, 70% of whom reside on the main island, Tongatapu. The country stretches approximately 800 km (500 mi) north-south. It is surrounded by Fiji and Wallis and Futuna (France) to the northwest, Samoa to the northeast, New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu to the west, Niue to the east, and Kermadec to the southwest. Tonga is about 1,800 km (1,100 mi) from New Zealand's North Island. Tonga is a member of The Commonwealth.
The arrival of Abel Tasman in Tongatapu, 1643; drawing by Isaack Gilsemans
William Mariner was a teenaged English sailor adopted into a royal Tongan family.
King George, of the Friendly Islands (1852)
Tāufaʻāhau, King of Tonga (1845–1893)