ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the relationship between popular music and cultural heritage by examining the localisation of globalised reggae in the Pacific, in order to demonstrate how cultural heritage and popular music can intersect. It seeks to advance a broader understanding of heritage, one that is inclusive of popular music as a vehicle for authentic expressions of culture, locating this discussion in the genre context of reggae, arguably one of the most globalised of all popular music genres. After an introductory discussion of popular music and heritage in the Pacific cultural context, the chapter presents a case study of New Zealand reggae band ‘Koile and their album Te Hua, to demonstrate how a popular music genre can be used to convey ancient cultural heritage.
