r/Tonga Sep 10 '19

Tongan History Master Thread

54 Upvotes

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 6h ago

Princess Anaziene, Granddaughter of King George of Tonga. Photograph by Alfred Burton for the Burton Brothers studio, Tonga, 29 July 1884

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10 Upvotes

r/Tonga 7h 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.

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10 Upvotes

r/Tonga 7h ago

Photograph taken in Tonga by Josiah Martin. Date unknown

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8 Upvotes

r/Tonga 7h 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

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3 Upvotes

r/Tonga 1d ago

Haʻamonga ʻa Maui, the prehistoric stone trilithon of Tonga, photographed between 1919 and 1939

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34 Upvotes

r/Tonga 1d ago

View of Vavaʻu Island and a neighbouring islet, Tonga, during the Capricorn Expedition (January 1953)

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21 Upvotes

r/Tonga 1d ago

Underwater fieldwork conducted off Vavaʻu, Tonga, during the Capricorn Expedition (5 January 1953)

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13 Upvotes

r/Tonga 3d ago

Tongan women rescued from China after arranged marriage scheme

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11 Upvotes

r/Tonga 3d ago

What does 'siale' translate to in english?

5 Upvotes

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 5d ago

Vavaʻu Island, Tonga (January 1953).

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33 Upvotes

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 5d ago

Queen Sālote of Tonga meets Queen Elizabeth at Hatfield House (31 May 1953)

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34 Upvotes

r/Tonga 5d ago

Church in Tongatapu Island, Tonga, xx century

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13 Upvotes

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 5d ago

Swimming in Tonga (1952)

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11 Upvotes

This photograph was taken in 1952 during the Capricorn Expedition (1952–1953) by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography


r/Tonga 5d ago

South Pacific Ocean: Tonga (1903/1976). Nautical chart of the Kingdom of Tonga showing its islands, coastline, and surrounding waters.

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3 Upvotes

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 6d ago

View from Talau looking west, Tonga, c. 1895 — photograph by Thomas Andrew

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22 Upvotes

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 6d ago

Game of Lafo, Vavau Island, Tonga, approximately 1895

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20 Upvotes

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 6d ago

Arrival at Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, 1929 — photograph by C. M. Yonge

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21 Upvotes

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 6d ago

Walking across Tonga main island in a day

12 Upvotes

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.


r/Tonga 7d ago

Tonga, 1895

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32 Upvotes

r/Tonga 7d ago

The lagoon at Tongatabu, Tonga, 1929

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26 Upvotes

r/Tonga 7d ago

Cemetery at Tongatabu, Tonga, 1929

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14 Upvotes

r/Tonga 7d ago

The Royal Palace, Nukuʾalofa, Tonga, 1929

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11 Upvotes

r/Tonga 8d ago

Portrait of Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga

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50 Upvotes

r/Tonga 8d ago

Princess Mataʻaho Tupoutoʻa of Tonga and her daughter, Princess Pilolevu, visit Universal Studios Hollywood in 1964, where they meet actor Ernest Borgnine and the cast of McHale’s Navy after a long walk along Lankershim Boulevard.

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36 Upvotes