Falakika Seilala
Falakika Seilala (died 20 February 1869), was a
Biography
A member of the Takumasiva dynasty, she acceded to the throne on 5 December 1858,[1] a few weeks after the death of her brother Soane-Patita Vaimua Lavelua,[2] who chose her to succeed him.[1] The Catholic mission played an important role in her nomination, with Jean-Claude Roux saying they "pushed [her] to the throne".[3]: 126
In 1859, she encountered difficulties with a French merchant, who had to leave Wallis.[3]: 69
Her coming to power revived conflicts between Catholics and Protestants, converted by Wesleyan missionaries (Methodists) from Tonga.[1] Thus, in 1866, she refused to grant the islanders religious freedom, as requested by the captain of a Royal Navy ship who had come to support the Protestants,[3]: 285 and also refused the request of a Wesleyan pastor the following year.[2]
Her niece Amelia Tokagahahau Aliki succeeded her on February 19, 1869[4] and she died the next day.
Comparison with other sovereigns of Oceania
Falakika Seilala was the first Wallisian sovereign to introduce the name Lavelua as a royal title.
References
- ^ ISBN 978-2-9563981-7-2, retrieved 2022-01-06
- ^ ISBN 9782905081254.
- ^ ISBN 2-905081-29-5. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ Tjibaou, Marie-Claude; Felomaki, Savelio; Beauvilain, Thierry; Pantz, Pierre-Alain (2009). Tavaka lanu ʻimoana : mémoires de voyages : [exposition, Centre culturel Tjibaou, Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie], 25 juillet-1er novembre 2009. Nouméa: Agence de développement de la culture kanak.
- ^ Elise Huffer (2006). "Desk Review of the Factors Which Enable and Constrain the Advancement of Women's Political Representation in Forum Island Countries". A Woman's Place is in the House - the House of Parliament: Research to Advance Women’s Political Representation in Forum Island Countries (PDF). Fiji: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. p. 17. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
Further reading
- Jean-Dominique Pinelli-Gérard Gourmel, Au Pays de Trois Royaumes, ed. Pacifique, Paris 1991.
- Alexandre Poncet, Histoire de l'île Wallis, Société des Océanistes, Paris 1972.
- Rossella Righetti, Oceano Pacifico, Edizioni & Comunicazione, Milano 2005.