Fīnau ʻUlukālala

Fīnau ʻUlukālala (Hot Headed) was a dynasty of six important hereditary chiefs from

).

Holders of the title

I (ʻi Maʻofanga)

Although the first Fīnau (ʻUlukālala I's grandfather, Mataelehaʻamea), had been a

, where he started the dynasty of the Haʻa Ngatatupu.

This first Fīnau died in 1797 in

, Vavaʻu, and as such is sometimes known as Fīnau ʻUlukālala II ʻi Feletoa, or by his second name: Fangupō.

Feletoa

At the end of the 18th century, due to the unpopularity of the then incumbent Tuʻi Kanokupolu, Tukuʻaho, who was a cruel and arbitrary person, Fīnau Feletoa (ʻUlukālala II) was able to extend his authority to

Muʻa

.

Unfortunately this did not bring the peace he had hoped for, but started off a civil war in Tonga which would last for the next 50 years or so. Fīnau did not try to conquer Tongatapu, but limited himself to some raids on the island. The most severe one was against

, go into great detail about these happenings and also the personality of this famous warlord.

He was also infamous, however, for the punishment he inflicted on some of his enemies: they were tied to leaking canoes, which were then set adrift at sea, soon to sink with their victims.

Fīnau Fangupō died in 1809 and was succeeded by his son Fīnau ʻUlukālala Moengangongo who decided to cut all links with the troublesome Tongatapu and ordered that both Haʻapai and Vavaʻu should pursue an isolationist policy. If it had not been for the coming of Tāufaʻāhau I, perhaps Tonga would have ended up as 3 independent nations. Moengangongo had died 2 years later, which is probably the reason that he has not gone into history as ʻUlukālala III

Tuapasi

Fīnau ʻUlukālala III, best known in history as Fīnau ʻUlukālala III ʻi Pouono (the part of

, as it was clear by then who was the most powerful person in Tonga. It was, after Haʻapai, the second island group of Tonga Tāufaʻāhau obtained in his way towards being king of all Tonga. It was therefore still in Vavaʻu, in fact at Pouono, on 20 November 1839 that Tāufaʻāhau declared himself king of Tonga and ceded it then to the new Christian god.

Matekitonga

Tupou Toutai Nafetalai Matekitonga was the name of Fīnau ʻUlukālala IV, the only son of his father, born in the same year (1833) that the latter died. He grew up to be a vassal to Tāufaʻāhau, fought, for example, in 1853 with him and Cakobau against another Fijian chief, Mara Kapaiwai and was rewarded with the noble title of ʻUlukālala when Tāufaʻāhau, by then known as king Siaosi I, proclaimed the constitution in 1875 and abolished all old chiefly titles and subtitles, except for 20, who were elevated to noble status (and another 10 in 1880). From that time on the proper way to refer to these nobles is by their title only with, if needed, an identifying name between parenthesis after it.

Mīsini

His son Siaosi Fīnau Mīsini succeeded him on his death in 1877 as Fīnau ʻUlukālala V (Mīsini), and he fulfilled positions like governor of Vavaʻu, several ministerial posts in the young Tongan government and was even regent. He died in 1938.

Haʻamea

The last of the dynasty was Siaosi Tangata-ʻo-Haʻamea who became ʻUlukālala VI (Haʻamea). As his mother's line died out without successors, he also was installed, later, with the noble title of Ata, from

did not see this as a deference of the Vavaʻu noble to the throne, but rather as a plot of him to break away from Tonga and to establish an independent Vavaʻu kingdom. They refused. Fusipala died in 1933, unmarried. Siaosi fathered unmarried children and was later married to Amelia Tuna Kaimanu Vaea, they had one adopted daughter, Takukipulotu. The eldest of the unmarried children of 'Ulukalala Ha'amea was a son by the name of Sione Potauaine Kuliha'apai who married twice, his wives named Heu and Mele Liliola who both had issue. One of 'Ulukalala Ha'amea other unmarried children, a daughter by the name 'Eva, who married to noble Ve'ehala, and had issue.

ʻAhoʻeitu

Siaosi died on 12 September 1960 without a married son. The title ʻUlukālala, and Ata as well, were then taken away from the original heir by king

, and so ended up with 3 noble titles).

Siaosi Manumataongo

After the death of king Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV and the accession of Siaosi Tupou V, ʻAhoʻeitu became the heir presumptive and had to give up, backdated to 11 September, the title in favour of his son, Siaosi Manumataongo ʻAlaivahamamaʻo ʻAhoʻeitu Konstantin Tukuʻaho, who was officially installed to it on 30 September 2006.^[2] In 2012 ʻAhoʻeitu became King and Siaosi Manumataongo became Crown Prince 'Ulukalala.^[3]

References

• J. Martin; An account of the natives of the Tonga islands; 1827; several time reprinted under the subtitle: Mariner's account.
• N. Rutherford; Friendly islands, a history of Tonga; 1977
• A. L. Kaeppler, M. Taumoefolau, N. Tukuʻaho, E. Wood-Ellem; Songs and poems of Queen Sālote; 2004;
  ISBN 978-982-213-008-9