A Tahitian drum group practicing on Kauai.

 

The dance is with music only (drums) at a fast rhythm, and no singing. The drum can be one of the different types of the ʻere, a lying log of wood with a longitudinal slit, which is struck by one or two sticks. Additional drum types accompanying the dance may include the pahu (the ancient Tahitian, standing drum covered with a shark skin and struck by the hands or with sticks) played at a slower rhythm, or the smaller faʻatētē drum.