Kaumaakonga (KMK) are an Avaiki musical outfit comprising of musicians from the Solomon Islands, predominantly from Mungava and Mungiki (hence: Ava-iki), also known as Rennell and Bellona (RenBel) islands. KMK breathes new life into their Traditional Avaiki chants while combining traditional rhythms and percussion with panpipes, guitar and unique vocal harmonies.

They rework and perform the chants and stories of their Polynesian forefathers, many of which were previously forbidden and at risk of disappearing completely due to the effects of colonisation and religion reaching the shores of these small islands. KMK is the result of individual members efforts to take the listener on a sonic journey from the past and propel them to the future of modern/traditional Polynesian and Melanesian musical fusions.

With the support of their Elders and community members from these remote islands, KMK are working hard as forerunners in Avaiki music, and their passionate live performances have audiences moving right throughout the pacific.

The recorded tracks of their debut album ‘Taoba’ are a collection of diverse islands songs, including many Traditional chants, re-arranged in their own unique genre, with wonderful harmonies and driving rhythms.

“Reviving and reworking the chants is so important to us, because playing this music helps us connect to our past, our forefathers and helps us understand where they’ve been, what was important to them, the voyages, their achievements, their love lives etc. Basically they musically remind us of who we were, and who we truly are.” ~ Willie Tekatoha, KMK guitarist.

KMK has performed locally and internationally, most notably in Vanuatu and Australia. Concerts in January 2023 as part of a collaboration between the Australian High Commission Solomon Islands and Wantok Musik were recent highlights. They have represented Solomon Islands in three international festivals; the Melanesian Festival of Arts and Culture (Papua New Guinea 2014, Solomon Islands 2018) and the Festival Of Pacific Arts (Guam 2016) as well as repeat visits to Australia for various festivals and cultural exchanges. Concerts in January 2023 as part of a collaboration between the Australian High Commission Solomon Islands and Wantok Musik were recent highlights.

Kaumaakonga absolutely falls into the latter category. While Taoba is the song I've added to the playlist, I really enjoyed every single song on their album.

Kaumaakonga is a band from the Solomon Islands, specifically from the islands of Mungava and Mungiki (often called Rennell and Bellona in English). If you combine the last 3 letters of each island you get Avaiki, the name of the language spoken on the two islands.

While the majority of the Solomon Islands is culturally and geographically Melanesian, Avaiki is a Polynesian language. It is considered a "Polynesian outlier," as it's outside the bounds of what is geographically considered Polynesia.

I was torn about adding Taoba to the playlist, and not just because I loved all Kaumaakonga's songs. Taoba is in archaic Avaiki, and is so old that the meaning has been lost. The song has been passed down for 25+ generations; and is so old that the words can no longer be recognized by modern Avaiki speakers. On one hand, I prefer to add songs that are intelligible to folks who speak that language. On the other hand, I think that it's amazing when songs are passed down even after the meaning is lost. There's just something really special about preserving a piece of your culture and history, even when you don't understand the words.