r/Tonga • u/history990 • 6h ago
r/Tonga • u/[deleted] • Sep 10 '19
Tongan History Master Thread
Malo e lelei! I have noticed a few posts and comments on a previous thread I posted that there is a need for more resources on early Tongan history. I would like to start a master thread so information is easy to share and find.
Our History – Master Thread for links to resources, websites, artists, academics, authors etc, who have shared information on pre-Christian Tonga and important Tongan history.
None of this information is my own I would just like to share what I have found and encourage everyone to add what any information you know or links you would like to share! I would also like to add that some of the links I will be adding will be of literature written by early missionaries and non-Pasifika people so take everything with a grain of salt but also be weary that some of the information may be unsettling or disturbing to read. Malo.
Tevita H. Fale Polynesian Astronomer – Fale has written lots of articles on Ancient Tongan History.
http://thfale.com/ancient-tongan-religion-lotu/
Tattooing and Traditional Tongan Tattoo by Rodney Powell
https://matadornetwork.com/nights/tattooing-traditional-tongan-tattoo/
Mythology of Oceania – alphabetical list includes gods from all over the Pacific
http://www.janeresture.com/oceania_myths/mythology.htm
Tongan Figures: From goddesses to missionary trophies to masterpieces by Roger Neich, Auckland Museum – pdf
http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/docs/Volume116/jps_v116_no2_2007/5%20Tongan%20figures.pdf
Shamanism in Tonga: An Assessment by Meredith Filihia, Latrobe University – pdf
http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/docs/Volume117/Volume%20117%20No%204/3%20Shamanism%20in%20Tonga.pdf
The State and the Church, the State of the Church in Tonga by Heneli T. Niumeitolu, Ph.D Thesis, The University of Edinburugh, 2007
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/278075.pdf
An Account of the Natives of the Tongan Islands/Chapter X. (Rest of the chapters also on wiki)
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/An_Account_of_the_Natives_of_the_Tonga_Islands/Chapter_X
The Supernatural in Tonga by E.E.V. Collocott, 1921 – pdf
https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1525/aa.1921.23.4.02a00030
Letter from the Chevalier Dillon to a Wesleyan Missionary on the subject of the murders, massacres, and slaughter of the natives of Tonga, in 1837.—No. I.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/31731746
Tongan Mythology Creation Myth
https://www.revolvy.com/page/Tongan-narrative
Takuaka – Myth of the shark god
https://www.livingoceansfoundation.org/takuaka-myth-of-the-shark-god/
r/Tonga • u/history990 • 6h ago
plan of the Island of Tonga (Tabou). Surveyed and drawn by Edmond Pâris during the expedition of the French corvette Astrolabe, April–May 1827; engraved by Chassant and lettered by Jacques Marie Hacq.
r/Tonga • u/history990 • 6h ago
President Giorgio Napolitano welcomes His Excellency Sione Ngongo Kioa, the newly appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of Tonga, during the presentation of his Letters of Credence. Photograph, Palazzo del Quirinale, Rome, 28 February 2008
r/Tonga • u/history990 • 1d ago
Haʻamonga ʻa Maui, the prehistoric stone trilithon of Tonga, photographed between 1919 and 1939
r/Tonga • u/history990 • 1d ago
View of Vavaʻu Island and a neighbouring islet, Tonga, during the Capricorn Expedition (January 1953)
r/Tonga • u/history990 • 1d ago
Underwater fieldwork conducted off Vavaʻu, Tonga, during the Capricorn Expedition (5 January 1953)
r/Tonga • u/Miao_Yin8964 • 3d ago
Tongan women rescued from China after arranged marriage scheme
1news.co.nzr/Tonga • u/Sudden_Professor_874 • 3d ago
What does 'siale' translate to in english?
Hey guys,
I've been curious about the word 'siale' and what it translates to in english, my parents have told me that it means flower but is there a specific flower that it translate to?
thanks.
r/Tonga • u/history990 • 5d ago
Vavaʻu Island, Tonga (January 1953).
This photograph was taken in January 1953 during the Capricorn Expedition (1952–1953) by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. It shows Vavaʻu Island, one of the main island groups of Tonga, with its harbour and surrounding coastline.
r/Tonga • u/history990 • 5d ago
Queen Sālote of Tonga meets Queen Elizabeth at Hatfield House (31 May 1953)
r/Tonga • u/history990 • 5d ago
Church in Tongatapu Island, Tonga, xx century
This photograph, taken by Sylvester M. Lambert between 1919 and 1939, shows a church Tongatapu Island, the largest and most populated island in the Kingdom of Tonga. It is part of the Sylvester M. Lambert Photographs, preserved in the Sylvester M. Lambert Papers at the UC San Diego Special Collections & Archives.
r/Tonga • u/history990 • 5d ago
Swimming in Tonga (1952)
This photograph was taken in 1952 during the Capricorn Expedition (1952–1953) by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
r/Tonga • u/history990 • 5d ago
South Pacific Ocean: Tonga (1903/1976). Nautical chart of the Kingdom of Tonga showing its islands, coastline, and surrounding waters.
This nautical chart shows the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean. Originally based on British surveys carried out between 1888 and 1898, it includes later updates made until 1962 and was published in 1976 by the United States Defense Mapping Agency Hydrographic Center.
r/Tonga • u/history990 • 6d ago
View from Talau looking west, Tonga, c. 1895 — photograph by Thomas Andrew
This photograph shows a western view from Mount Talau in Tonga, taken around 1895 by photographer Thomas Andrew. The image is part of the South Sea Islands photograph album, a collection documenting landscapes and communities across the Pacific Islands during the late nineteenth century.
The photograph captures the natural scenery of Tonga, including the landscape surrounding Mount Talau, which is now part of Mt Talau National Park on the island of Vavaʻu
r/Tonga • u/history990 • 6d ago
Game of Lafo, Vavau Island, Tonga, approximately 1895
This photograph shows a traditional Lafo game being played on Vavaʻu Island, Tonga, around 1895. It was taken by photographer Thomas Andrew and is part of the South Sea Islands photograph album, which documents the people, landscapes, and customs of Pacific Island communities in the late nineteenth century.
r/Tonga • u/history990 • 6d ago
Arrival at Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, 1929 — photograph by C. M. Yonge
This photograph shows the arrival of an expedition at Nukuʻalofa, the capital of Tonga, in 1929. The image is part of the photographic album documenting the Great Barrier Reef Expedition (1928–1929), a scientific mission focused on the study of coral reefs and marine life.
The photograph records a moment of contact between the researchers and the Pacific Islands, showing the local pier and the arrival area of the port. It was taken by Charles Maurice Yonge, a scientist and member of the expedition.
r/Tonga • u/Dismal_Fix_2099 • 6d ago
Walking across Tonga main island in a day
Hello there my name is Adam, I’m 28 from the UK but currently live in Adelaide, Australia. I recently submitted my PhD thesis and wanted to do something for charity in the mean time while I wait. I was going to raise money for a Palestinian sports charity (Palestine Sport 4 Life) that allows children to have access to new equipment and helps with other areas of their wellbeing. My way of raising money was to dribble a football (soccer) all the way from Abel Tasman’s Landing Site to Niutoua in one day. Would this be possible, I currently don’t have any Tongan friends or know anyone who is Tongan so would love to get in contact with anyone.