TUʻI TONGA

(Redirected from Tu\'i Tonga)
The 'Tui Tonga' is a line of Tongan kings, which originated in the 10th century with the mythical Ahoeitu; withdrew from political power in the 15th century by yielding to the Tui Haatakalaua; and died out with Laufilitonga in 1865. Today its descendants still live forth in the chiefly line of Kalaniuvalu.
Tradition names 39 holders of the title, but there is an alternative list with 48 names.
#Ahoeitu – divine father, around 900 AD, resided first in Popua and then other places of the Hahake district, like Toloa near Fuaamotu.
#Lolofakangalo
#Fangaoneone
#Līhau
#Kofutu
#Kaloa
#Mauhau – residence in Lavengatonga
#Apuanea
#Afulunga
#Momo – married with Nua, the daughter of Loau, the Tui Haamea. Several places claim to have been Haamea, but if it is another name for Haamoa (Sāmoa), the marriage may refer to a political alliance between Tonga and its old foe. The Tongan maritime empire came into existence. Royal court in Heketā near Niutōua.
#Tuitātui – around 1100 AD, extended the royal court, built the Haamonga; established with Loau the Falefā (''house of four''), as a kind of crown ministers; his cunning stepbrother Fasiapule became a governor.
#Talatama – shifted the residence to Lapaha; died without issue
#Tuitonganui ko e Tamatou – said to have been a block of wood, standing in as child of Talatama and father of Talaihaapepe to keep the dynasty pure
#Talaihaapepe – real brother of Talatama and supposed grandson through the woodblock
#Talakaifaiki – around 1250; start of the decline of the Tongan maritime empire, lost Sāmoa due to his cruelty to the Mālietoa line
#Talafāpite
#Tuitonga Maakitoe
#Tuitonga Puipui
#Havea I – assassinated by a Fijian (Sāmoa was lost to the empire a long time ago, now Fiji seemed to get revolutionary too)
#Tatafueikimeimua
#Lomiaetupua
#Havea II – assassinated with an arrow by Tuluvota, a Fijian
#Takalaua – assassinated by Tamasia and Malofafa from Uvea and Futuna while taking his bath in the Tolopona stream at Alakifonua; a harsh ruler, start of political upheavels
#Kauulufonua I – around 1470, pursued his father's murderers from Tongatapu to Eua, Haapai, Vavau, both Niuas, then Niuē, Fiji, Samoa, finally arresting them at their home island of either Uvea or Futuna. Back at home in Mua he killed them in a savage way (kicking out their teeth and then letting them chew kava), giving him the nickname ''fekai'', the wild. He won his revenge, but lost a serious war against the Futunans (also see: meetuupaki), and was driven out from Uvea too. Meanwhile he either gave his younger brother Moungāmotua fargoing privileges to act as a viceroy in his place, or (more likely) the latter seized the power and started a new dynasty, the Tui Haatakalaua
#Vakafuhu – kept away from Tonga by the Tui Haatakalaua, lived in Sāmoa.
#Puipuifatu – lived in Sāmoa, tried in vain to invade Vavau to restore power to his dynasty
#Kauulufonua II – lived in Sāmoa
#Tapuosi – was allowed to return to Mua, as apparently the Tui Tonga line was now so weakened as to be of no threat to the Tui Haatakalaua. From now on the Tui Tonga functioned as a kind of high priest, taking care of all religious obligations (an honour and a burden), giving him a very elevated status, but no worldly power. But no Tui Tonga was ever murdered anymore either.
#Uluakimata I – also known as Telea, builder of the greatest langi on Tongatapu
#Fatafehi – around 1600, married the Tui Haatakalaua Mounga o Tonga's daughter, a custom which would last for some generations to come forming a permanent alliance between the two houses; his sister married a Fijian, changing the international orientation of Tonga from Sāmoa to Fiji
#Kauulufonua III – was met by Abel Tasman in 1643
#Uluakimata II
#Tuipulotu (I) ilangi Tuofefafa - from now on the Tui Tonga principal wife ''(moheofo)'' became the daughter of the Tui Kanokupolu instead of the Tui Haatakalaua, showing which dynasty of the latter two was now the most important
#Fakanaanaa
#Tuipolutu (II) ilangi Tuoteau
#Paulaho - real name was: Pau; seems to have been a bastard (not the son of a moheofo), and it is not clear how he came to power; tried to establish his son Fuanunuiava, probably also a bastard, as his successor during a grand ceremony in 1777, witnessed by Captain Cook; was defeated and deposed in a following civil war
#Maulupekotofa - the older brother of Paulaho, who should have been Tui Tonga in the first place without Paulaho; tried to reduce the burden of religious taboos grown on the Tui Tonga and to increase its political influence
#Fuanunuiava - took the power from his uncle in or around 1795, but continued his policy; joined Fīnau Ulukālala in the civil war of 1799; died in 1810
#Laufilitonga - born around 1798 was too young to become Tui Tonga when his father died; by that time the title had so declined as to have lost almost all prestige; tried to opt for power, but lost the final battle at Velata in 1826 against Tāufaāhau; was (together with the Tui Kanokupolu) mockingly installed as Tui Tonga in 1827 as a king with neither political nor spiritual power; died in 1865 after which the title was abolished.

Contents

See also

References

See also

★ Tui Tonga empire

★ History of Tonga

References

★ I.C. Campbell; Classical Tongan kingship; 1989

★ E. Bott; Tonga society at the time of Captain Cook's visit; 1982

★ O. Māhina; Images from the history and culture of Tonga; 2006