History of Tonga

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The history of Tonga is recorded since the ninth century BC, when seafarers associated with the

Pre-contact

The dates of the initial settlement of Tonga are still subject to debate; nonetheless, one of the oldest occupied sites is found in the village of Pea on Tongatapu. Radiocarbon dating of a shell found at the site reportedly dates the occupation at 3180 ± 100 BP (Before Present).^[5] Some of the oldest sites pertaining to the first occupants of the Tongan Islands are found on Tongatapu which is also where the first Lapita ceramics were found by WC McKern in 1921.^[6] Nonetheless, reaching the Tongan islands (without Western navigational tools and techniques) was a remarkable feat accomplished by the Lapita peoples. Not much is known about Tonga before European contact because of the lack of a writing system during prehistoric times other than the oral history told to the early European explorers. The first time the Tongan people encountered Europeans was in April 1616 when Jacob Le Maire and Willem Schouten made a short visit to the islands to trade with them.

Early culture

Centuries before Westerners arrived, Tongans created

terraced tombs. The Haʻamonga is 5 meters high and made of three coral-lime stones that weigh more than 40 tons each. The Langi are low, very flat, two or three tier pyramids that mark the graves of former kings.

What is known about Tonga before European contact comes from myths, stories, songs, poems, (as there was no writing system) as well as from archaeological excavations. Many ancient sites, kitchens and refuse heaps, have been found in Tongatapu and Haʻapai, and a few in Vavaʻu and the Niuas that provide insights into old Tongan settlement patterns, diet, economy, and culture.

The Old Tonga

The Haʻapai of three thousand years ago was a bit different from the Haʻapai of today. Large flightless birds called megapodes bounded through the tropical rain forest while giant iguanas and various other lizards rested on tree limbs.^[7] The skies hosted three different species of fruit bats, three different species of pigeon, and more than two dozen other types of birds. There were no pigs, horses, dogs, cows, or rats.

The South Pacific, meanwhile, was almost completely uninhabited. Any present humans existed on the western fringes of the

where they were first noticed archaeologically.

The Lapita Period

Lapita

pottery has been found

Around 3000 B.P., the

Just as their Polynesian descendants do today.

Sea food was inexhaustible, so reefs then were not very different from reefs today, except for the marked decline in sea turtle populations. Fauna didn't fare as well, however, and soon the giant

They hunted and cooked these animals with the most basic of technologies. When shell pieces were too brittle for tools, they utilized volcanic soils for “andesite/basalt used for adze manufacture and other artifacts such as oils as hammerstones, weaving weights, cooking stones, and decorative pebbles for grave decoration.”

Another useful technology was their eponymous pottery with “dentate” impressions and simple designs that were characteristic of all

Decades of archaeological excavations of ancient Lapita kitchens and middens (refuse piles) both in Tongatapu and Haʻapai have taught us much about early Tongan settlement. We know what they ate, what tools they used, where they settled (one colony each on ‘Uiha, Kauvai, and Foa, and two on Lifuka), and how large the settlements were. Despite a wealth of archaeological evidence, however, the Lapita people still stifle us with two main mysteries: How did they spread through the South Pacific so quickly, and why did the Lapita settlers in Tonga quickly abandon their ornate pottery tradition?

The Lapitan diaspora began from Papua New Guinea in 1500 BC. By 2850 BP (900 BC) they were already in Tonga, meaning they virtually sprinted east for three hundred years. They travelled in small wooden boats over open ocean to invisible destinations faster than the Europeans colonizers walked across their continent.^[8] Archaeologists wonder what would compel people to embark on statistically suicidal missions. It doesn't appear that population pressure was a problem, because most Lapitan islands were sparsely inhabited and could have supported much higher populations, especially if they had turned more towards available root crops.

A hypothesis from Kirch is that Lapitan culture encouraged emigration by younger sons.^[8] Not just in Tonga, but throughout the South Pacific is a tradition of passing down land to eldest sons. To obtain their own land, younger sons needed to explore. Tangaloa, the chief Tongan god before the arrival of Christianity, was a younger sibling who created Tonga while searching for land from a canoe. His fish hook accidentally caught on a rock on the ocean floor and he was able to pull Tonga to the surface.

The other great mystery is why the ornate pottery tradition disappeared, and with such speed. Only two hundred years after arriving, the Lapitan settlers ceased to decorate their earthenware pots at all, and the only thing the leading contemporary Tongan archaeologist can say about the disappearance is that, “Unfortunately most explanations are based on inferential speculation, and they are difficult to validate with any degree of certainty. What we can say with confidence is that, for whatever reason pottery decoration ceased in Tonga, it did so rather suddenly.”^[10]

The Polynesian Plain Ware Period: 2650–1550 BP (700 BC – 400 AD)

Life began to change drastically for Haʻapaians at the same time that ornate pottery was replaced by a strictly utilitarian plain ware kit, and it is at this time that the people may be called Polynesian. Of all the linguistically and traditionally similar people who came to inhabit the triangle created by New Zealand, Hawai’i, and Easter Island, they can all trace ancestry to a few original settlers in Tonga^{[citation needed]}.

These original Polynesians in Tonga shifted somewhat away from maritime subsistence towards an increased reliance on agriculture and animal husbandry. Taro, yam, breadfruit, and banana became principal carbohydrate sources, and domesticated animals came to represent much more of the diet.^[7] At original Lapita sites, 24% of bird bones came from chickens, which increased after the Polynesian transformation into 81%, marking probably the demise of other bird species as well as an increased reliance on domesticated species.^[10]

More energy supportive food sources allowed a population explosion. A 25x40 m Lapitan “hamlet” grew into a village over one kilometer in length.

.

To archaeologists, these early Polynesians provide a mystery just as perplexing as the Lapitans. By 1550 BP (400 AD), they ceased to produce any pottery at all. They seem to have turned towards more natural materials instead, and therefore the archaeological record enters into a “dark age”^[10] of relatively little information until the emergence of chiefly states hundreds of years later. Speculations as to disappearance of the pottery tradition ranges from the use of coconut cups and bowls that are easier to use, a shift away from steaming shellfish in large bowls to baking in underground ovens, and the unsuitability of Tongan clays for pottery.^[10] Nothing can be said with certainty except that the same disappearance also occurred in Fiji and Samoa.

The Formative Dark Age: 1550–750 BP (400–1200 AD)

Little is known about the period because of the absence of much archaeological evidence. What is clear is that population continued to increase, reaching between 17,000 and 25,000^[10] on Tongatapu, and that chiefdoms arose to protect against the increased competition for resources. Tongatapu may have been politically consolidated by a single individual of the future Tuʻi Tonga familial line, as oral tradition traces the king's lineage back through 39 individuals that could have started as early as 1000 bp (950 AD).^[10] The maritime empire made famous by oral tradition, however did not begin until after 750 BP (1200 AD).

Tongan Maritime Empire

By the 12th century, Tongans, and the Tongan kings named the

In 950 AD Tu'i Tonga 'Aho'eitu started to expand his rule outside of Tonga. According to leading Tongan scholars, including Okusitino Mahina, the Tongan and Samoan oral traditions indicate that the first Tu'i Tonga was the son of their god

However, some islands in Polynesia were left alone by the Tu'i Tonga such as, parts of Tahiti Nui, The Cook Islands, and the Marquesas. To better govern the large territory, the Tu’i Tongas had their throne moved by the lagoon at Lapaha, Tongatapu. The influence of the Tu’i Tonga was renowned throughout the Pacific, and many of the neighboring islands participated in the widespread trade of resources and new ideas.

Under the 10th Tuʻi Tonga, Momo and his son Tuʻitātui (11th Tuʻi Tonga) the empire was at its height of expansion, tributes for the Tu'i Tonga were said to be exacted from all tributary chiefdoms of the empire. This tribute was known as the " 'Inasi " and was conducted annually at Mu'a following the harvest season when all countries that were subject to the Tu'i Tonga must bring a gift for the gods, who was recognized as the Tu'i Tonga.^[14] Captain Cook witness an Inasi ceremony in 1777, in which he noticed a lot of foreigners in Tonga, especially the darker people that resembles African descend from Fiji, Solomon Islands ^{[citation needed]} and Vanuatu.^[11] The finest mats of Samoa ('ie toga) are incorrectly translated as "Tongan mats;" the correct meaning is "treasured cloth" ("ie" = cloth, "toga" = female goods, in opposition to "oloa" = male goods).^[15] Many fine mats came into the possession of the Tongan royal families through chiefly marriages with Samoan noblewomen, such as Tohu'ia the mother of Tu'i Kanokupolu Ngata who came from Safata, 'Upolu, Samoa. These mats, including the Maneafaingaa and Tasiaeafe, are considered the crown jewels of the current Tupou line^[16] (which is derived matrilineally from Samoa).^[17] The success of the Empire was largely based upon the Imperial Navy. The most common vessels were long-distance double-canoes fitted with triangular sails. The largest canoes of the Tongan kalia type could carry up to 100 men. The most notable of these were the Tongafuesia, ʻĀkiheuho, the Lomipeau, and the Takaʻipōmana. It should be mentioned that the Takaʻipōmana was actually a Samoan kalia; according to Queen Salote and the Palace Records this was the Samoan double-canoe that brought Tohu'ia Limapō from Samoa to wed the Tu'i Ha'atakalaua.^[17] The large navy allowed for Tonga to become wealthy with large amounts of trade and tribute flowing into the Royal Treasury.^[11]

The Tuʻi Tonga decline began due to numerous wars and internal pressure. In the 13th or 14th century Samoa defeated Tu'i Tonga Talakaifaiki under the lead of the

Because of so many assassination attempts on the Tu'i Tonga, Kauʻulufonua established a new dynasty called Tu'i Ha'atakalaua in honor of his father and he gave his brother Mo’ungamotu’a, the title of Tu’i Ha’a Takalaua. This new dynasty was to deal with the everyday decisions of the empire, while the position of Tu’i Tonga was to be the nation's spiritual leader, though he still controlled the final say in the life or death of his people. The Tu'i Tonga "empire" at this period becomes Samoan in orientation as the Tu'i Tonga kings themselves became ethnic Samoans who married Samoan women and resided in Samoa.^[20] Kau'ulufonua's mother was a Samoan from Manu'a,^[21] Tu'i Tonga Kau'ulufonua II and Tu'i Tonga Puipuifatu had Samoan mothers and as they married Samoan women the succeeding Tu'i Tongas - Vakafuhu, Tapu'osi, and 'Uluakimata - were allegedly more "Samoan" than "Tongan."^[22]

In 1610, the 6th Tu’i Ha’a Takalaua, Mo'ungatonga, created the position of Tu’i Kanokupolu for his half-Samoan son, Ngata, which divided regional rule between them, though as time went on the Tu’i Kanokupolu's power became more and more dominant over Tonga. The Tu'i Kanokupolu dynasty oversaw the importation and institution of many Samoan policies and titles and according to Tongan scholars this Samoanized form of government and custom continues today in the modern Kingdom of Tonga ^[23] Things continued this way for a long time afterward. The first Europeans arrived in 1616, when the Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire spotted Tongans in a canoe off the coast of Niuatoputapu,^[24] followed by Abel Tasman who passed by the islands on 20 January 1643.^[25] These visits were brief, however, and did not significantly change the island.^[24][25] Captain James Cook observed and recorded his accounts of the Tuʻi Tonga kings during his visits to Tonga.^[26][27][28]

The dividing line between the two moieties was the old coastal road named Hala Fonua moa (dry land road). Still today the chiefs who derive their authority from the Tuʻi Tonga are named the Kau hala ʻuta (inland road people) while those from the Tuʻi Kanokupolu are known as the Kau hala lalo (low road people). Concerning the Tuʻi Haʻatakalaua supporters: when this division arose, in the 15th century, they were of course the Kauhalalalo. But when the Tuʻi Kanokupolu had overtaken them they shifted their allegiance to the Kauhalaʻuta.

Modern archeology, anthropology and linguistic studies confirm widespread Tongan cultural influence ranging widely^[29][30] through East 'Uvea, Rotuma, Futuna, Samoa and Niue, parts of Micronesia (Kiribati, Pohnpei), Vanuatu, and New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands,^[31] and while some academics prefer the term "maritime chiefdom",^[32] others argue that, while very different from examples elsewhere, "..."empire" is probably the most convenient term."^[33]

European arrival and Christianization

Niuafo'ou, Cocos Eylandt (Tafahi) and Verraders eylandt (Niuatoputapu

). It is one of the earliest maps where those island are drawn.

In the 15th century and again in the 17th, civil war erupted. It was in this context that the first Europeans arrived, beginning with Dutch explorers

), but a less welcoming reception there made them decide to sail on.

On January 21, 1643, the Dutch explorer

This name is no longer used except by historians.

The most significant impact had the visits of

Bahá'í faith

.

The islands were also visited by the Spanish under

while crossing Tongan waters, in 1789.

• 
  Tongans as depicted by Isaack Gilsemans during Abel Tasman's trip to Tongatapu in 1642–43
• 
  Tongan canoes, with sails and cabins, and two Tongan men paddling a smaller canoe in the foreground; derived from "Boats of the Friendly Isles" a record of Cook's visit to Tonga, 1773–74.
• 
  Captain Cook welcomed on the island of

  Haapai

  , 1777 (1930 engraving)
• 
  Vavaʻu (Tonga) girls playing traditional games, circa 1800; perhaps

  Malaspina

  's voyage of 1793

Unification

In 1799, the 14th Tuʻi Kanokupolu,

.

In 1875, with the help of missionary Shirley Baker, he declared Tonga a constitutional monarchy, at which time he emancipated the serfs, enshrined a code of law, land tenure, and freedom of the press, and limited the power of the chiefs. The islands were not fully surveyed until 1898, when the British warships HMS Egeria (1873) and HMS Penguin (1876) completed the task.^[35]

• 
  Two Tongan young women, 1823
• 
  Training School at Tonga, 1852
• 
  King George Tupou I of the Friendly Islands, 1852
• 
  Ata, a Tonga Chief, 1853
• 
  Siege of a Tongan village during the expedition of

  Dumont d'Urville

  , 1863
• 
  Interior of a Tongan house, 1871 drawing
• 
  Tongan seaman during the

  Challenger Expedition

  , 1874
• 
  Tongan notables in the 1880s
• 
  Nukuʻalofa in 1887

20th century

Kingdom of Tonga (1900–70)

Tonga became a

.

On 18 May 1900, to discourage German advances,

Foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Tonga were conducted through the British Consul. The United Kingdom had veto power over foreign policies and finances of the Kingdom of Tonga.^[36]

Tonga was affected by the

For most of the 20th century

king

, the nobles, and the commoners. Between the nobles and commoners are Matapule, sometimes called "talking chiefs," who are associated with the king or a noble and who may or may not hold estates. Obligations and responsibilities are reciprocal, and although the nobility are able to extract favors from people living on their estates, they likewise must extend favors to their people. Status and rank play a powerful role in personal relationships, even within families.

• 
  King George Tupou II going to the Opening of Tongan Parliament in 1900
• 
  Richard Seddon and wife at the opening of the Tongan parliament, 1900
• 
  Royal Throne of Tonga, 1900.
• 
  Members of the Tonga Defence Force of 2nd NZEF on parade in Tonga celebrating the capitulation of Italy in 1945
• 
  Bishop John Rogers, Pīsila (wife of Fusitu'a) and Suli Seuli (matāpule of Fusitu'a) watching dancing. Inauguration of the Catholic church in Kolofo'ou. 1967

World War II

Upon the

In mid-1941, the New Zealand Army despatched 70 military advisors to Nuku'alofa to train the Tongan Defence Force. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Tonga also declared war on Japan. In anticipation of a Japanese invasion, citizens were evacuated from Nuku'alofa and barbed wire and trenches were erected on the beaches of Tongatapu.^[42]

Independence (1970)

Salote Tupou III

.

On 4 June 1970, protected state status ended under arrangements established prior to her death in 1965 by the third monarch, Queen

.

Tonga joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970, and the United Nations in 1999. While exposed to colonial forces, Tonga has never lost indigenous governance, a fact that makes Tonga unique in the Pacific and boosts confidence in the monarchical system. The British High Commission in Tonga closed in March 2006.

Tonga's current king, Tupou VI, traces his line directly back through six generations of monarchs. The previous king, George Tupou V, born in 1946, continued to have ultimate control of the government until August 2008. At that point, concerns over financial irregularities and calls for democracy led to his relinquishing most of his day-to-day powers over the government.^[43]

Tongans are beginning to confront the problem of how to preserve their cultural identity and traditions in the wake of the increasing impact of Western technology and culture. Migration and the gradual monetization of the economy have led to the breakdown of the traditional extended family. Some of the poor, once supported by the extended family, are now being left without visible means of support.

Educational opportunities for young commoners have advanced, and their increasing political awareness has stimulated some dissent against the nobility system. In addition, the rapidly increasing population is already too great to provide the constitutionally mandated 8.25 acre (33,000 m²) API for each male at age 16. In mid-1982, the population density was 134 persons per square kilometer. Because of these factors, there is considerable pressure to move to the Kingdom's only urban center.

21st century

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (March 2016)

2002 election

In the March 2002 election, supporters of the Human Rights and Democracy Movement (HRDM) won seven of the nine popularly-elected seats for people's representatives, with the remaining two representing "traditionalist" values. Voter turnout was 48.9%.^[44] The nine nobles and all the cabinet ministers that sit in the Legislative Assembly generally support the government. Following the election, HRDM leader

In 2003, the Taimi 'o Tonga (Tongan Times), a newspaper published in New Zealand in the Tongan language that had been critical of the government was prohibited from distribution in Tonga due to government objections to its political content. After the newspaper obtained two court orders, it was again distributed freely. A Media Operators Bill and constitutional amendment, intended to restrict media freedom in Tonga, was hotly debated in 2003. The legislation allowed the government to exert control over coverage of "cultural" and "moral" issues, ban publications it deemed offensive, and ban foreign ownership of the media. In October 2003, thousands of Tongans marched peacefully through the streets of the capital city Nukuʻalofa in an unprecedented demonstration against the government's plans to limit media freedom. Despite the protests, the Media Operators Bill and constitutional amendment passed the Legislature and as of December 2003 needed only the King's signature to become law.

By February 2004, the amendment was passed and licensure of news media was required. Those papers denied licenses under the new act included the Taimi 'o Tonga (Tongan Times), the Kele'a and the Matangi Tonga, while those permitted licenses were uniformly church based or pro-government. Further opposition to government action included calls by the Tu'i Pelehake (a prince, nephew of the King and elected member of parliament) for Australia and other nations to pressure the Tongan government to democratize the electoral system, and a legal writ calling for a judicial investigation of the bill. The latter was supported by some 160 people, including 7 of the 9 elected "People's Representatives".

2005 election

At the

, Minister of Labour and one of the two independent candidates elected, as well as the first non-noble Prime Minister of the country.

In 2005 the government spent several weeks negotiating with striking civil service workers before reaching a settlement. A constitutional commission met in 2005–2006 to study proposals to update the constitution. A copy of the commission's report was presented to King

Taufa'ahau Tupou IV

, shortly before his death in September 2006.

2006 riots

2006 Tonga riots in Nukuʻalofa

Tupou IV

in 2006. He is flanked by his two sons, the new chiefs ʻUlukālala (left) and Ata (right)

Main article:

2006 Tonga riots

Tonga did not rate as an "electoral democracy" under the criteria of

Freedom in the World 2006

report. This is likely because while elections exist, they could only elect nine of 30 Legislative Assembly seats, the remainder being selected either by the nobility or the government; as such the people have a voice in but no control over the government.

The public expected democratic changes from the new monarch. On November 16, 2006,

On 18 January 2007 Pōhiva was arrested

2006 Nuku'alofa riots

.

2008 election

About two weeks before the election, it was announced that the Tonga Broadcasting Commission would henceforth censor candidates' political broadcasts,^[56] and that TBC reporters would be banned from reporting on political matters.^[57] Tonga Review criticised the decision as an undue restriction on freedom of speech.^[58] On 29 May 2008, in the speech from the throne at the opening of Parliament, Princess Regent,

In July 2008, three days before his coronation, King George Tupou V announced that he would relinquish most of his power and be guided by his Prime Minister's recommendations on most matters, following upcoming elections.^[43]

In November 2009, a constitutional review panel recommended a ceremonial monarchy stripped of real political power and to invest political power in a completely elected Legislative Assembly of Tonga (the Fale Alea) which, up to this point was largely hereditary due to the fact that most of the seats where designated for the nobles.^[60][61] and were preceded by a programme of constitutional reform.^[62]

Democratisation and 2010 elections

In April 2010 the Legislative Assembly enacted a package of political reforms towards a fully

The Taimi Media Network described the 2010 Tongan Legislative Assembly as "Tonga’s first democratically elected Parliament".^[68] The The DPFI put forward bills for further democratisation, including the proposal of direct election of the Prime Minister from among the 26 elected MPs, as well as of universal suffrage for all 26 MPs. These proposals were not taken forward by the conservative majority.[71]^[72]

At the death of King George Tupou V on 18 March 2012, his son ʻAhoʻeitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho became King of Tonga, with the regnal name ʻAhoʻeitu Tupou VI.

New elections in 2014 saw the DPFI lose three seats to independent candidates. Its leader Pohiva was nevertheless appointed as new Prime Minister of Tonga. On August 25, 2017 Pohiva was dismissed by the King along with the rest of parliament with fresh elections to be held on November 16. The Elections resulted in the DPFI winning 14 seats - enough for Pohivia to form government without relying on nobles' or independent MPs.^[73][74]

2022 tsunami

On 15 January 2022 a

See also

• History of Oceania
• List of monarchs of Tonga
• Prime Minister of Tonga
• Politics of Tonga
• Kingdom of Tonga (1900–70)

References

Further reading

• Corbett, Jack, Wouter Veenendaal, and Lhawang Ugyel. "Why monarchy persists in small states: the cases of Tonga, Bhutan and Liechtenstein." Democratization 24.4 (2017): 689–706. online
• James, Kerry. "Is there a Tongan middle class? Hierarchy and protest in contemporary Tonga." Contemporary Pacific (2003): 309–336. online
• Latukefu, S. (1974)Church and State in Tonga, ANU Press, Canberra
• Lawson, Stephanie. Tradition Versus Democracy in the South Pacific: Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa (Cambridge University Press, 1996).
• Quanchi, Max (2005). Historical Dictionary of the Discovery and Exploration of the Pacific Islands. The Scarecrow Press.
  ISBN 978-0810853959
  .
• van der Grijp, Paul. "Travelling Gods and Nasty Spirits. Ancient Religious Representations and Missionization in Tonga (Polynesia)." Paideuma (2002): 243–260. online
• Weeks, C. J. (1987). "The United States Occupation of Tonga, 1942-1945: The Social and Economic Impact". Pacific Historical Review. 56 (3): 399–426.
  JSTOR 3638665
  .
• Wood-Ellem, Elizabeth. Queen Salote of Tonga: The Story of an Era 1900–1965 (1999)
• Woodcock, George. "Tonga: The Last of the Victorians." History Today (1975) 25#1 pp 31–39.

External links

• Tonga Visitors Bureau, Ministry of Tourism, Kingdom of Tonga (archived 7 October 2011)
• Photo of Haʻamonga Trilithon
• The Friendly Islands: 1616–1900