Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, an archipelago in the South Pacific
Ocean, comprises 169 islands, 36 of which are inhabited, and stretches over
a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 miles) in a north-south line. The
islands that constitute the archipelago lie south of Samoa, about one-third
of the way from New Zealand to Hawaii.
Tonga is also referred to as the Friendly Islands because of the friendly
reception accorded to Captain James Cook on his first visit in 1773. He
happened to arrive at the time of the ʻinasi festival, the yearly donation
of the first fruits to the Tuʻi Tonga, the islands' paramount chief, and
received an invitation to the festivities. According to the writer William
Mariner, in reality the chiefs had wanted to kill Cook during the gathering,
but were unable to agree on a plan.
Tonga, the only sovereign monarchy among the island nations of the Pacific
Ocean, has the distinction of being the only island nation in the region to
have avoided formal colonisation.
Etymology
In many Polynesian languages, the word "Tonga" means "South". The name of
Tonga derives from the word Tongahahake, which translates to "Southeast",
originally meaning "the wind that blows from the Southeast". The proper
pronunciation of the name 'Tonga' is toŋa, and not /tɒŋɡə/, a pronunciation
used for an Indian carriage spelled in the same way and so causing confusion
History
An Austronesian-speaking group linked to the archeological construct known
as the Lapita cultural complex reached and colonized Tonga around 1500–1000
BCE. The dates of the initial settlement of Tonga are still subject to
debate. Nevertheless, 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 Europeans and the Eurocentric interpretations
of Polynesian culture by Europeans. The first time the Tongan people
encountered Europeans was in 1616 when the Dutch vessel Eendracht made a
short visit to the islands to trade.
By the 12th century Tongans, and the Tongan paramount chief, the Tuʻi, had a
reputation across the central Pacific, from Niue to Tikopia, leading some
historians to speak of a 'Tongan Empire'. In the 15th century and again in
the 17th, civil war erupted. It was in this context that the first European
explorers arrived, beginning with Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Jacob
Le Maire in 1616, who called on the northern island of Niuatoputapu, and
Abel Tasman, who visited Tongatapu and Haʻapai in 1643. Later noteworthy
European visits were by Captain Cook (British Navy) in 1773, 1774, and 1777,
Alessandro Malaspina (Spanish Navy) in 1793, the first London missionaries
in 1797, and the Wesleyan Methodist Walter Lawry Buller in 1822.
In 1845 the ambitious young warrior, strategist, and orator Tāufaʻāhau
united Tonga into a kingdom. He held the chiefly title of Tuʻi Kanokupolu,
but was baptised with the name King George. In 1875, with the help of
missionary Shirley Waldemar Baker, he declared Tonga a constitutional
monarchy, formally adopted the western royal style, emancipated the 'serfs',
enshrined a code of law, land tenure, and freedom of the press, and limited
the power of the chiefs.
Tonga became a protected state under a Treaty of Friendship on 18 May 1900,
when European settlers and rival Tongan chiefs tried to oust the second king
Within the British Empire, which posted no higher permanent representative
on Tonga than a British Consul (1901-1970), it was part of the British
Western Pacific Territories (under a colonial High Commissioner, then
residing on Fiji) from 1901 until 1952. Although under the protection of
Britain, Tonga is the only Pacific nation never to have given up its
monarchical government as did Tahiti and Hawaiʻi. The Tongan monarchy unlike
the UK follows a straight line of rulers.
The Treaty of Friendship and Tonga's protectorate status ended in 1970 under
arrangements established by Queen Salote Tupou III prior to her death in
1965. Tonga joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970 (atypically as an
autochthonous monarchy, that is one with its own hereditary monarch rather
than Elizabeth II), and the United Nations in September 1999. While exposed
to colonial forces, Tonga has never lost indigenous governance, a fact that
makes Tonga unique in the Pacific and gives Tongans much pride, as well as
confidence in their monarchical system. As part of cost cutting measures
across the British Foreign Service, the British Government closed the
British High Commission in Nukuʻalofa in March 2006, transferring
representation of British interests in Tonga to the UK High Commissioner in
Fiji. The last resident British High Commissioner was Paul Nessling.
Politics
Tonga operates as a constitutional monarchy. The reverence for the monarch
is likened to that held in earlier centuries for the sacred paramount chief,
the Tuʻi Tonga. Criticism of the monarch is held to be contrary to Tongan
culture and etiquette. A direct descendant of the first monarch, King George
Tupou V, his family, some powerful nobles, and a growing non-royal elite
caste live in much wealth, with the rest of the country living in relative
poverty. The effects of this disparity are mitigated by three factors:
education, medicine, and land tenure.
Tonga provides free and mandatory education for all children up to the age
of fourteen, with only nominal fees for secondary education, and
foreign-funded scholarships for post-secondary education. Tongans enjoy a
relatively high level of education, with a 98% literacy rate, and higher
education up to and including medical and graduate degrees pursued mostly
overseas.
Tongans also have universal access to a national health system. Tongan land
is constitutionally protected and cannot be sold to foreigners (although it
may be leased). While there is a land shortage on the urbanized main island
of Tongatapu (where 70% of the population resides), there is farm land
available in the outlying islands. The majority of the population engages in
some form of subsistence production of food, with approximately half
producing almost all of their basic food needs through farming, sea
harvesting, and animal husbandry. Women and men have equal access to
education and health care, and are fairly equal in employment, but women are
discriminated against in land holding, electoral politics, and government
ministries. However, in Tongan tradition women enjoy a higher social status
than men, a cultural trait that is unique among the insular societies of the
Pacific.
The pro-democracy movement in Tonga promotes reforms, including better
representation in the Parliament for the majority commoners, and better
accountability in matters of state. An overthrow of the monarchy itself is
not part of the movement and the institution of monarchy continues to hold
popular support, even while reforms are advocated. Until recently, the
governance issue was generally ignored by the leaders of other countries,
but major aid donors and neighbours New Zealand and Australia are now
expressing concerns about some Tongan government actions.
Following the precedents of Queen Sālote, and the consel of numerous
international advisors, the government of Tonga under King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou
IV monetized the economy, internationalized the medical and education system
and enabled access by commoners to increasing forms of material wealth
(houses, cars, and other commodities), education, and overseas travel. The
government has supported Olympic and other international sports competition,
and contributed Peacekeepers to the United Nations (notably to Bougainville
and the Solomon Islands). The Tongan government also supported the American
coalition of the willing" action in Iraq, and a small number of Tongan
soldiers were deployed, as part of an American force, to Iraq in late 2004.
However, the contingent of 40+ troops returned home on 17 December 2004. In
2007, a second contingent was sent to Iraq while two more were sent during
2008 to be part of Tonga's continuous support for the coalition. This Tongan
involvement was finally concluded at the end of 2008 with no loss of Tongan
life reported.
The previous king, Tāufaʻāhau and his government made some problematic
economic decisions and are accused of wasting millions of dollars in poor
investments. The problems have mostly been driven by attempts to increase
national revenue through a variety of schemes, considering making Tonga a
nuclear waste disposal site (an idea floated in the mid-90s by the current
crown prince); selling Tongan Protected Persons Passports (which eventually
forced Tonga to naturalize the purchasers, sparking ethnicity-based concerns
within Tonga); registering foreign ships (which proved to be engaged in
illegal activities, including shipments for al-Qaeda); claiming geo-orbital
satellite slots (the revenue from which seems to belong to the Princess
Royal, not the state); holding a long-term charter on an unusable Boeing 757
that was sidelined in Auckland Airport, leading to the collapse of Royal
Tongan Airlines; building an airport hotel and potential casino with an
Interpol-accused criminal; and approving a factory for exporting cigarettes
to China (against the advice of Tongan medical officials, and decades of
health promotion messaging). The king has proved vulnerable to speculators
with big promises and lost several million (reportedly 26 million USD) to
Jesse Bogdonoff, a financial adviser who called himself the king's Court
Jester. The police have imprisoned pro-democracy leaders, and the government
repeatedly confiscated the newspaper The Tongan Times (which was printed in
New Zealand and sold in Tonga) because the editor had been vocally critical
of the king's mistakes. Notably, the Keleʻa, produced specifically to
critique the government and printed in Tonga by pro-democracy leader
ʻAkilisi Pōhiva, was not banned during that time. Pōhiva, however, had been
subjected to harassment in the form of frequent lawsuits.
In mid-2003 the government passed a radical constitutional amendment to
Tonganize" the press, by licensing and limiting freedom of the press, so as
to protect the image of the monarchy. The amendment was defended by the
government and by royalists on the basis of traditional cultural values.
Licensure criteria include 80% ownership by Tongans living in the country.
As of February 2004, those papers denied licenses under the new act included
the Taimi ʻo Tonga (Tongan Times), the Keleʻa and the Matangi Tonga, while
those which were permitted licenses were uniformly church-based or
pro-government. The bill was opposed in the form of a
several-thousand-strong protest march in the capital, a call by the Tuʻi
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 signatures, including
seven of the nine elected "People's Representatives". The strong-arm tactics
and gaffes have overshadowed the good that the aged king had done in his
lifetime, as well as the many beneficial reforms of his son, ʻAhoʻeitu
ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho (Lavaka Ata ʻUlukālala), who was Prime Minister from
January 3, 2000 to February 11, 2006. The former Crown Prince and current
monarch, Tupoutoʻa, and Pilolevu, the Princess Royal, remained generally
silent on the issue. In total, the changes threatened to destabilize the
polity, fragment support for the status quo, and place further pressure on
the monarchy.
In 2005 the government spent several weeks negotiating with striking
civil-service workers before reaching a settlement. The civil unrest that
ensued was not limited to just Tonga; protests outside the king's New
Zealand residence made headlines, too. A constitutional commission is
currently (2005-06) studying proposals to update the constitution.
Prime Minister Prince ʻAhoʻeitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho (Lavaka Ata
ʻUlukālala) resigned suddenly on February 11, 2006, and also gave up his
other cabinet portfolios. The elected Minister of Labour, Dr Feleti Sevele,
replaced him in the interim.
On July 5, 2006 a driver in Menlo Park, California caused the deaths of
Prince Tu'ipelehake ʻUluvalu, his wife, and their driver. Tu'ipelehake, 55,
was the co-chairman of the constitutional reform commission, and a nephew of
the King.
The Tongan public expected some changes when Siaosi Tupou V (later King
George Tupou V) succeeded his father in 2006. On November 16, 2006, rioting
broke out in the capital city of Nuku'alofa when it seemed that the
parliament would adjourn for the year without having made any advances in
increasing democracy in government. Pro-democracy activists burned and
looted shops, offices, and government buildings. As a result, more than 60%
of the downtown area was destroyed, and as many as 6 people died.
On July 29, 2008 the Palace announced that King George Tupou V would
relinquish much of his power and would surrender his role in day-to-day
governmental affairs to the Prime Minister. The royal chamberlain said that
this was being done to prepare the monarchy for 2010, when most of the first
parliament will be elected, and added: "The Sovereign of the only Polynesian
kingdom... is voluntarily surrendering his powers to meet the democratic
aspirations of many of his people." The previous week, the government said
the king had completed the sale of his ownership of state assets which had
contributed to much of the royal family's wealth.
Economy
Tonga's economy is characterized by a large non monetary sector and a heavy
dependence on remittances from the half of the country's population that
lives abroad, chiefly in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The
monetary sector of the economy is dominated and largely owned by the royal
family and nobles. This is particularly true of the telecommunications and
satellite services. Much of small business, particularly retail
establishments on Tongatapu, is now dominated by recent Chinese immigrants
who arrived under a cash-for-passports scheme that ended in 1998.
The manufacturing sector consists of handicrafts and a few other very small
scale industries, all of which contribute only about 3% of GDP. Commercial
business activities also are inconspicuous and, to a large extent, are
dominated by the same large trading companies found throughout the South
Pacific. In September 1974, the country's first commercial trading bank, the
Bank of Tonga, opened. There are no patent laws in Tonga.
Rural Tongans rely on plantation and subsistence agriculture. Coconuts,
vanilla beans, bananas, coffee beans and root crops such as yams, taro and
cassava, are the major cash crops. The processing of coconuts into copra and
desiccated (dried) coconut was once the only significant industry but
deteriorating prices on the world market has brought this once vibrant
industry, as everywhere throughout the island nations of the south Pacific,
to a complete standstill. In addition, the feudal land ownership system
meant that farmers had no incentive to invest in planting long-term tree
crops on land they did not own. Pigs and poultry are the major types of
livestock. Horses are kept for draft purposes, primarily by farmers working
their 'api 'uta (a plot of bushland). More cattle are being raised, and beef
imports are declining. The export of squash to Japan once brought relief to
a struggling economy but recently local farmers are increasingly wary of
this market due to price fluctuations, not to mention the huge financial
risks involved.
Tonga's development plans emphasize a growing private sector, upgrading
agricultural productivity, revitalizing the squash and vanilla bean
industries, developing tourism, and improving the island's communications
and transportation systems. Substantial progress has been made, but much
work remains to be done. A small but growing construction sector is
developing in response to the inflow of aid monies and remittances from
Tongans abroad. It remains to be said that the most significant contributor
to Tonga's economy are remittances from Tongans living abroad. In
recognition of such a crucial contribution, the present Tongan government
has created a new department within the Prime Minister's Office with the
sole purpose of catering for the needs of Tongans living abroad. Furthermore
the Tongan Parliament in 2007 amended citizenship laws to allow Tongans
especially those living overseas to hold dual citizenship.
Efforts are being made to discover ways to diversify. One hope is seen in
fisheries; tests have shown that sufficient skipjack tuna pass through
Tongan waters to support a fishing industry. Another potential development
activity is exploitation of forests, which cover 35% of the kingdom's land
area but are decreasing as land is cleared. Coconut trees past their prime
bearing years also provide a potential source of timber.
The tourist industry is relatively undeveloped; however, the government
recognizes that tourism can play a major role in economic development, and
efforts are being made to increase this source of revenue. Cruise ships
often stop in Nukuʻalofa and Vavaʻu.
Vava'u in fact is well known for its whale watching, game fishing, surfing,
beaches and is increasingly becoming a major player in the South Pacific
tourism market.
Tonga's postage stamps, which feature colorful and often unusual designs
(including heart-shaped and banana-shaped stamps) are popular with
philatelists around the world.
Real estate companies have also just started to spring up in Tonga; as such,
they were basically unheard of less than a decade ago. These have provided a
way of making income for many Tongans as nearly every male Tongan has plots
of land that he has never seen and the leasing of this valuable and
attractive land allows the Tongan to live in a comfort not experienced
before. There are also many Tongans who work as commission agents and earn a
living by finding available land parcels and bringing them to local ex-pats
or computer savvy Tongans to list on-line. Some of these so-called real
estate companies have done more harm than good and one would be wise to be
careful when dealing with them. However for the most part acquiring real
estate in Tonga is a simple, straightforward and problem-free process.
In 2005 the country became eligible to become a member of the World Trade
Organization, however on July 25, 2006 it was announced that Tonga has
deferred its membership of the WTO until July next year according to the
Tongan Prime Minister, Dr. Feleti Sevele.
The delay he said did not mean that Tonga was withdrawing its WTO membership
application, but to give Tonga more time to improve its tariff system.
The Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) was incorporated in 1996
and endeavours to represent the interests of its members, private sector
businesses, and to promote economic growth in the Kingdom.
Energy
Tonga is installing tailor-made policies to power its remote islands in a
sustainable way – without turning to expensive grid-extensions. A number of
islands within the Kingdom of Tonga are lacking basic electricity supply. In
view of the decreasing reliability of fossil-fuel electricity generation,
its increasing costs and negative environmental side-effects, renewable
energy solutions have attracted the government's attention. Together with
IRENA, Tonga has charted out a renewable energy based strategy to power the
main and outer islands alike. The strategy focuses on Solar Home Systems
that turn individual households into small power plants. In addition, it
calls for the involvement of local operators, finance institutions and
technicians to provide sustainable business models as well as strategies to
ensure the effective operation, management and maintenance once the systems
are installed.
Demographics
Over 70% of the 101,991 inhabitants of the Kingdom of Tonga live on its main
island, Tongatapu. Although an increasing number of Tongans have moved into
the only urban and commercial centre, Nukuʻalofa, where European and
indigenous cultural and living patterns have blended, village life and
kinship ties continue to be important throughout the country. Everyday life
is heavily influenced by Polynesian traditions and especially by the
Christian faith; for example, all commerce and entertainment activities
cease from midnight Saturday until midnight Sunday, and the constitution
declares the Sabbath to be sacred, forever. Some Tongans are Methodists with
a significant Catholic minority and a number of members of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). The official figures from the
latest government census of 2006 (cf. www.pmo.gov.to/tongastats) shows that
the four major church affiliations in the kingdom currently stand as
follows: Free Wesleyans (38,052 or 37%); The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints ("Mormons") (17,109 or 17%); Catholics (15,992 or 16%);
Free Church of Tonga (11,599 or 11%). By their own church statistics,
Mormons claim 48 percent of the population to substantiate their claim that
Tonga is the most Mormon nation in the world, a phenomenon which has been
remarked upon in such publications as Salon.
Tongans, Polynesian by ethnicity with a very small mixture of Melanesian,
represent more than 98% of the inhabitants. The rest are European (the
majority are British), mixed European, and other Pacific Islanders. There
were approximately 3,000 or 4,000 Chinese in Tonga in 2001, thus comprising
3 or 4% of the total Tongan population. In 2006, Nukuʻalofa riots mainly
targeted Chinese-owned businesses, leading to the emigration of several
hundred Chinese.
Primary education between ages 6 and 14 is compulsory and free in state
schools. Mission schools provide about 8% of the primary and 90% of the
secondary level of education. State schools make up for the rest. Higher
education includes teacher training, nursing and medical training, a small
private university, a woman's business college, and a number of private
agricultural schools. Most higher education is pursued overseas.
The Tongan language is the official language of the islands, along with
English. Tongan is a Polynesian language which is closely related to
Wallisian (Uvean), Niuean, Hawaiian, and Samoan.
70% of Tongan women aged 15–85 are obese. Tonga and nearby Nauru have the
world's fattest populations.
Culture and diaspora
Kava culture
Tonga has been inhabited for perhaps 3,000 years, since settlement in late
Lapita times. The culture of its inhabitants has surely changed greatly over
this long time period. Before the arrival of European explorers in the late
1600s and early 1700s, the Tongans were in frequent contact with their
nearest Oceanic neighbors, Fiji and Samoa. In the 1800s, with the arrival of
Western traders and missionaries, Tongan culture changed dramatically. Some
old beliefs and habits were thrown away, and others adopted. Some
accommodations made in the 1800s and early 1900s are now being challenged by
changing Western civilization.
Contemporary Tongans often have strong ties to overseas lands. Many Tongans
have emigrated to Australia, New Zealand, and the United States to seek
employment and a higher standard of living. U.S. cities with significant
Tongan American populations include Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon;
Anchorage, Alaska; Inland Empire, California; San Mateo, California; East
Palo Alto, California; San Bruno, California; Oakland, California; Inglewood
California; Los Angeles, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; Honolulu, Hawaii
Reno, Nevada, and Euless, Texas (in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex). Large
Tongan communities can also be found in Auckland, New Zealand, and in
Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. This Tongan diaspora is still closely tied
to relatives at home, and a significant portion of Tonga's income derives
from remittances to family members (often aged) who prefer to remain in
Tonga.
Tongans, therefore, often have to operate in two different contexts, which they often call anga fakatonga, the traditional Tongan way, and anga fakapãlangi, the Western way. A culturally adept Tongan learns both sets of rules and when to switch between them.
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