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The South Pacific
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Tonga History and Culture
The Kingdom of Tonga, which consists of 170 islands, covers nearly 259,000 square kilometers (100,000 square miles) of space in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Proclaimed as “still far away from it all; still different, still alone, and to the joy of those who find their way to her – essentially unspoiled,” by the Tongan Visitor’s Bureau, many believe that Tonga hasn’t changed much since its early days.
Tonga History
Not unlike a number of other island groups in the South Pacific, most believe that Polynesians settled the islands of Tonga sometime around 500 B.C. as they made their way from Asia across the vast ocean.
The kingdom itself, based on an old Polynesian myth, was established around 950 A.D., when a god named Tagaloa came down to father a son by a beautiful maiden. He – Aho’eitu – became the first Tui Tonga, or king of Tonga. As time went on, the king became more of a figurehead than a ruler, with power being divided amongst many chiefs, who couldn’t seem to stop fighting with each other.
British explorers, like James Cook and the famous Captain Bligh, spotted the islands of Tonga in the late 18th century. Wesleyan missionaries came a half-century later, and with the help of one of Tonga’s chiefs, converted the islanders to Christianity by 1831. That same chief, despite his newfound conversion, staged a series of domestic wars, and by 1845, had declared himself to be the new king. He forsook his island name in favor of a new Christian name, and soon became King George I of Tonga.
George’s grandson, who ruled after his grandfather’s death, signed a treaty with Great Britain in 1900, giving the British power over Tonga’s foreign affairs but also preventing any further interference on Tonga by other Western powers. His daughter ruled after him; so fiercely protective of Tongan traditions that she never allowed a tourist hotel to be built in the kingdom. However, when she passed away after 47 years as queen, her son set about bringing the islands into the modern world.
Tonga Today
The monarchial system has had its ups and downs in Tonga. Due to poor wages, many Tongans have chosen to leave for the Western democracies to make a living. Human rights organizations have been formed and have challenged the monarchy. There’s been some dissatisfaction with government officials and some grumblings as to the need for dissolution of the monarchy.
However, 21st century monarchs have become more amenable to the tourist industry, with the local Visitor’s Bureau touting lovely new resorts, annual festivals, interesting historic attractions, and the islands’ delightful weather.
The Tongan People
Basically, however, the kingdom of Tonga is a peaceful place to live and visit, with the 100,000 or so residents holding steadfast to the ways of old Polynesia. Family members take care of other family members and no one goes without, even when it’s a struggle to feed another mouth.
An estimated ninety-eight percent of all those who live in the kingdom are pure Polynesian. More than half of those people belong to the Free Wesleyan Church, an offshoot of the early Methodist Church and still associated with Methodist hierarchy in New Zealand and Australia. Other churches include Anglican, Roman Catholic, Mormon, and Seventh-Day Adventist. Church attendance is an essential part of life for most Tongans and Sunday is treated as a sacred day.
The Tongans are quite conservative in most ways, thanks to the influence of the Wesleyan missionaries. Their preferred form of dress covers the body and Western dress is shunned by many families. (Visitors should be courteous of these issues.)
English-speaking visitors don’t find it difficult to make their way around the kingdom as English is widely spoken, especially among younger Tongans.