Tonga-Balkans a breath of fresh air [1]
Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 12:11. Updated on Thursday, July 30, 2015 - 14:37.
Editor,
I am writing to ask that you allow the discussions between these fine gentlemen about Tonga and the Balkans to continue for just a little bit more because I feel they were just about to wind down their discussion anyways. It has been a like breath of fresh air; all the entirely new discussions on your impressively widely read website.
But I would also like to add a short word. Although I understand Joe Smith's example was to emphasize his point to forgive and forget things that have happened in the past, however, and for trivial knowledge sake - Samoa was always considered part of Tonga from the beginning. Only from Talaikaifaiki III (also known as Lomi'aetupu'a II) and his escape from Tuna and Fata, only then was Samoa considered independent for about 200 years. Kau'ulufonua Fekai then reconquered Samoa after this 200 year hiatus and the Tu'i Tonga actually lived out of Samoa for four consecutive generations only returning to Tonga once a year for the 'Inasi ceremony. Tu'i Tonga Tapu'osi (father of Tu'i Tonga 'Uluakimata/Tele'a I) was the one who returned to reside in Tonga, which coincided with the creation of the Lomu'eiki title, and also the eventual creation of the Tu'i Kanokupolu title.
It was only during internal complications in Tonga about another 300 years later when Samoa became more and more independant because of Tonga being preoccupied with civil strife. Even so, many parts of Samoa still attended the annual 'Inasi to the Tu'i Tonga even up to 1861 which was the year before the last Tu'i Tonga Laufilitonga passed away.
Malo 'aupito,
Daniel K. Fale
mauitekelangi [at] gmail [dot] com