Anthropology Program
Tongan History Association Newsletter
Vol.1 No.2, November 1989
Plans for the Fourth International Tongan History Conference
The next Tongan History Conference will be held at the Waikato Polytechnic, Hamilton, 14-21 May 1990. Ourseminar has been accepted as a 1990 Commission Project (celebrating 1 50 years since the Treaty of Waitangi), and this means there could be some funding. We are trying to obtain accommodation for everyone at a boarding school close by, which will be on vacation. We hope to be able to pay for it ourselves so that we remain good hosts. The chosen registration fee is $40.00 so that we can provide all meals as well. Saturday the 20th of May will be art and craft exhibition day as well as Tongan song and dance. There is a dance planned for Friday night. Mrs. Ema Bourne is organising venues and projects in Hamilton while Saia Mafile'o and his family are doing VSA work in Tonga till January 1990.
`Ofa atu, Edgar Tu'inukuafe
Editors Note: Those who wish to give a paper should send an abstract to Edgar at the following address: Pacific Islanders' Educational Resource Centre, 272 Jervols Road, Herne Bay, PO Box 46-056, Auckland 2, New Zealand.
Papers from the First Tongan History Conference
Niel Gunson, Dept. of Pacific and Southeast Asian History, Australian National University, Canberra, reports that the organization Target Oceania, which Undertakes to publish materials bearing on Pacific' history and is based in the Department of Pacific and Southeast Asian History, RSPacS, Australian National University, will be publishing the papers from the first Tongan History Conference held in Canberra in January 1987. The collection should appear sometime in 1990.
Rutherford Leaves Canberra
Noel Rutherford is leaving the post he assumed in 1987 of Warder, of Bruce Hall, Australian National University, to resume his acadenmic positon as Associate Professor of History at the University of Newcastle. Dr. Rutherford is well known for his writings on Tongan history. He is the author of Shirley Baker and the King of Tonga (Melbourne, Oxford University Press, 1971) and the editor of öThe Friendly Islands: A History of Tonga (Melbourne. Oxford University Press. 1ò THA wishes Dr. Rutherford well in this new-old endeavour.
News from CATS, the Canberra Association of Tongan Students
CATS was first formed in 1987. Officers for this year include: Patron, Dr. Sione Latukefu; President, `Okusitino Mahina; Vice President, Sione N. Kioa; Secretary, Finau Talia'uli; Assistant Secretary, Caroline Funaki; Treasurer, Sikahema `Aholelei; Assistant Treasurer, Tevesi Tavo.
This year has been a particularly full one. CATS took part in the 1989 International Night Show at the Australian National University, giving a poetry recital that included ölau maau, kailao,ò and ötau'olunga.ò It organized two barbecues, inviting members of the Tongan community in the area; and it held a fund-raising ball.
The most important innovation of the year was a series of public talks, including the showing of films, at the Australian National University. Events included:
- "Education and Research," `Okusitino Mahina," A.N. U.;
- "The Tongan Royal Kava Ceremony," Dr. Aletta Biersack, visitor, A.N. U.;
- "Is the Pacific Still Pacific?" Dr. William Sutherland,A.N.U.;
- "Land Tenure System, Natural Resources, and the State of Economy in Tonga," Sione Tongilava and Saimone Helu, Ministry of Lands, Survey, and Natural Resources, and Don Seiler, Ministry of Finance, Tonga;
- "One World, One Law, One Culture?" Prof. Eugene Kamenka, A.N. U.;
- "Economic Policy and the Role of Consumer Demand in the Development of Tonga," Sione N. Kioa, A.N.U., and Saia Kami, Sydney.
These talks have generated a lot of discussion and been well attended.
`Ofa atu fau, `Okusitino Mahina
President, CATS
Editor's Note: THA Newsletter is prepared to publish similar Information for like organizations in other parts of the Pacific. Please send bulletins to Aletta Biersack, Dept. of Anthropology, RSPacs, Australian National University, GPO Box 4, Canberra, ACT 2601.
In Fond Rememberance: Garth Rogers - An Uncommon Man, 1932-1989
On 3 March 1989, Garth Rogers, friend and scholar, lost a brief but stalwart battle against cancer. His death is all the more tragic for the intense joy and hope for the future which he found in his much loved wife, Alanieta, and their two small daughters, Myra and Edith. Garth found much pleasure in fatherhood and in spite of his personal inclination for privacy, Garth drew many friends, colleagues, students and wanderers into the warmth of his family circle.
Born in Wolverhampton, England, Garth arrived in Australia at the age of fourteen and was later educated in New Zealand, first at Otago University followed by his graduate training in anthropology at the University of Auckland. He is known and respected internationally as a Pacific scholar. He has worked mainly in Fiji after Tonga, most recently in collaboration with Alanieta. In 1967 he carried out fieldwork on the island of Niuafo'ou, evacuated by the Tongan government in 1946 after a volcanic eruption and resettled in 1958 by a large group of the original inhabitants. Garth was a brilliant worker. After only three months in the field and three months writing up, he produced an excellent M.A. thesis: "Politics and Social Dynamics in Niuafo'ou: An Outlier in the Kingdom of Tonga." Garth responded to the dynamic of the political and social processes there, which he saw as unique in Tonga, by focusing on events, such as a strike in 1966, which were creating a new balance of power. His analysis, which is guided by the people's own accounts, provides a significant discussion of the relation between authority and compliance. Always his loyalty was with the common people.
When he came to do his Ph.D. - "Kai and Kava in Niuatoputapu" (1 975) - Garth built on his own love of physical labour on the land and produced a rich ethnography of the social relations of production. His careful consideration of both history and ethnohistory gave a solid basis for his consideration of the human contradiction between self-interest and the well-being of the community.
Throughout his years as a student Garth gave advice and practical help to other students in their research, helping to edit the work of some of them so that it could be published. This professional generosity featured in his career, when sometimes he even spared some of his precious leave from his position of senior lecturer at Auckland to help other researchers in difficulty with their work. He saw the task of scholarship much more broadly than a ladder to personal success and his devotion to the work of Pacific Island and Maori students and scholars is legendary.
Much of Garth's work in Tonga was carried out in partnership with Wendy Pond and together they formed a commitment to Pacific research, which each expressed in his or her own way. As a colleague and as a friend, we can find no compensation for his loss. His memory will stay with us in the form of values which he held dear-- kindness and respect for the uniqueness of each individual. Many of us will remember Garth in a very special sense for the humility with which he could see in himself a bit of a clown and in the human condition contradictions, which he transformed by his artfulness and flair for comic elaboration, which somehow enabled him to see the truth about people without despair.
Eleanor and Max Rimodi, Auckland, New Zealand
"Ko e Lotu `a Kaafi kia Maui* 'i Pulotu"
("The Prayer of Garth [Kaafi] to Maui in Pulotu")
* Maui Kisikis is the ancient Tongan god of art, love, and liberty.
Fakataputapu ke aofaki atu pea a'u
Ki tala `a Manu'a ne mataliki he fatu
Fa'unga `isa na'a ngalo ange `ia au
Ne kumuni `o kafatoka pe `i he `anau
Ko e suvenia sila'i he `olita e manatu
Patahaka ai `a si'eta longifau laukau
Mei a Touia'ofutuna 'a `eta tukufaka'au
Mo e tufunga talu mei Ha'amea `a Lo'au
Ko e kovinanite e fuakava fakapapau
`A `Ilaheva mo e Tangaloa `o e langilau
Tapa he `otu fonua `o malama `i Tongatapu
Maamaloa `ia `Aho'eitu `o huelo he hau
`A Fonuatanu mo `Ahau na'e palalau
`I he talafatungamotu'a `ilo pe `e a'u
Tupa!
Ko e vahe ngafa e `a e Tu'i Manu'a
Hopo'anga e Ia'a mo e hifo hakenga
Mana he `inasi fio he fatongia tupu'a
Havealolofenua `ohoana `ena Taufulifanua
`A Tongamama'o kuo akenoa ai e `ofa
Ko e motu nai `ape ia ki tonga `a Tonga
Mo'o hikule'o `ena pele mo e tamaha
`A e fefine kae tangata `a Maui Tangaloa
Ke tofi tofi'a ko e katea ki ha'a huafa
Ki Pulotu `a e Langi pehe foki Lolofonua
Ma'ae hakotupu ne angaanga `otua mo tangata
Ko e tupu'anga `eni `enau toputapuha
He ko e lau mai `ape nai teke `iloa?
Ka hala pe Tokelaumama'o na'a ko Ha'amoa
Tupa!
`E Maui Kisikisi fefe nai Tonga Fusifonua?
Ko e fua vahe kuo tongiloto he maka `i Saua
Mo e mata'u tala ne lave'i `o tavai Manuka
`A e ne hunuki pea to ai e motu'a kuila
Ke ma'alali e tipilometi `a e loto matala
Ko e helo e tau'ataina mo e kalatua
Ne mo'ui he fekuki `o mate he lipatia
`One teke e langi tuku ki hono `opita
Pea malakina Papa `o fakalongo pe ki kafa
Ko e vete'ange `o e ha'isia mo e popula
Mei a hou'eiki ne tivaini mo e kau taula
`O fakatokafonua pea `omia e afi ki maama
`A e tukulaumea tu'uloa pea fai `o ta'engata
Tonunga mei tuai pea `e holoi kuonga
Tupa!
Seketo'a e lea mai pe na'e anga fefe?
`Oku tefuli pe `eku fehu'i kiate koe
`A Niuatoputapuha ko e motu li'ekina `ape
`Oku hualela pea takua he ngalu'ea e ope
Tuku ke u metitasio pea u hu `o lotua e
Pea talaloa e siate na'a 'oku tau he
He ko ho'o tapu na ka ko 'eku fa'ele
Neongo ne si'i he tu'uhoko ka na'e pale
`A 'Aho'eitu `eiki fakahoko he fa'e
He ne lahi manongisia pe `a Talafale
`Eitumatupu'a mo Falefa nau muli fua pe
Te nau tu'a fuli `i tu'a pea fale
Fai'anga e tau'aki kofe mo e politikale
Huhulu he sivilaise tonunga ai e 'ulifohe
Tupa!
Te u tuku pe ki he fika mo e hisitolia
`Ilaheva `i Va'epopua talangaki he tupu'a
Mo e Piu-'o-Tafahi `oku ne kei talanga
Ke fakamo'oni ne fai heni hota lalanga
Fotu `i Fale Fisi mo e muka `o Kauhala'uta
Vailahi he'ikai ngalo `a Sioeli Pangia
Makamimisi mo e Vaikoniutoua ko e akama'unga
Tu'u ko e pao `o Iangovaka `isa he `uhinga
He ko Fisikuohele mo Malolo'aehau `ena
`Oku na kei falo ke kalanga mo fakaha
Ki Pasivulangi mo Mata'aho hoko ko e matanga
Ne folitounga ai e kau kaivai Manuka
Mapuna ai pule'anga hau Tu'i Tonga `emipaea
Leva e malanga faka'osi a tofa soifua!
Tupa!
Ko e fatu `e `Okusitino Mahina, Canberra, Australia, 1989.
This was composed about Garth Rogers, not only to commemorate the tragic death of his mortal person on 3 March 1989 but to celebrate his immortal soul, the social and psychological qualities of a person who was a close friend and colleague and, indeed, a great scholar and teacher. The ~ serves as an introduction to a 16-page obituary I wrote in the Tongan language for Garth, which is to be published in the forthcoming 1989 issue of öTulutulumafua Magazine,ò an `Atenisi Institute annual publication. I am currently working on an English version of the same for Wendy Pond, Garth's longtime friend and committed research associate, who is compiling a small book as a memorial to Garth from his friends and colleagues.
`Okusitino Mahina, A.N.U.
The Reverend Dr. A. Harold Wood: Tribute from Tonga
Editor's Note: The following is a eulogy delIvered by the Rev. Siupeli Taliai at a "Service of Thanksgiving for the Life and Work of the Rev. Dr. A. Harold Wood" in the Auburn Uniting Church, Oxley Road, Hawthorn, on Sunday, September 10, 1989.
The Rev. Dr. A. Harold Wood passed away in Melbourne in September. The following is a tribute to him delivered by the Rev. Siupeli Taliai in a service of thanksgiving for the Rev. Dr. Wood's life and work at the Auburn Uniting Church, Oxley Road, Hawthorn, Victoria, on Sunday, September 10,1989.
So rich are the memories of Dr. Alfred Harold Wood in the minds of the Tongan people that even a sharing of them in several hours would not do justice to the depth of his character. He has left the people of Tonga a rich store of memories. We remember him with gratitude, affection, and respect and give thanks to God for the many ways he contributed to the work of his Lord he loved and served.
Dr. Wood spent 13 of the best years of his ministry in Tonga where he developed a special fondness and love for the people and the country. He won the love and respect of the royal family and all Tongans whom he met and all to whom he ministered.
His commitment and dedication to Christian ministry, his training and encouragement of Tongans for leadership in the church and community, and his promotion of Christian and church unity will remain in Tongan history.
He came to Tonga in 1924 to be the Principal of a struggling Tupou College of barely 30 students. When he left in 1937, Tupou College was the biggest school in the country with almost 400 boarders. When he arrives, the late Queen Salote was endeavouring to bring into chUrch union the two factions of the Methodist family and he Used his legal knowledge to help.
His musical talent was pUt into good use at Tupou College where young men gained experience under his guidance. As an educator, he wrote books on Tongan history and geography which are currently used in secondary schools as text books. He took over the training of candidates into the church ministry. At his instigation, scholarships were offered by the government to successful students to go to Australia for further education, and to Fiji for medical training.
Dr. A. H. Wood was a man of extra-special character and talent. His extra-ordinary intellectual ability, his integrity, his humility and saintliness, and his skill as a writer and communicator, all had a strong influence on people both inside and outside the church.
Possessed of a strong personality, he was forthright in his proclamation of the Word of God, always giving relevance that made it in his work. Emphasis on the grace of God continually shone through in his preaching and ministry. His preaching on grace and other themes of the Christian faith was always notable by its deep sense of personal conviction.
Tonga has been greatly blessed by the life and ministry of this great servant of God, and on behalf of His Majesty and the King of Tonga, Dr. `Amanaki Havea, the president of the Free Wesleyan Church, and the people of Tonga, I wish to convey to you Dora, Janet, Linnel, Walter, Pesi, Mornica, and D'Arcy, sincere thanks and appreciation for the years of shared life together.
Hili masiva e, kae ma'u koloa; "Hill vaivai, malohi noa;
`Osi `a e `itengia, to mai `a e `ofa; öHili `a e ngaue. maloloa.
Hopo `a e maama e hili po'uli;
Mui `a e ututa'u ki he tutuu'i;
`Osi fa'itoka na, toe mo'ui;
Hili kolosi e. ma'u `a e kalauni.
`EMENI.
THA Membership
Those who wish to become a member of tháùáe Tongan History Association should send their dues for 1990 to Salote Fukofuka, Treasurer, THA, c/o U.S. P. Centre, Nuku'alofa, Tonga. Annual dues are T$1 0.00 or equivalent (T$5.00 for students, retirees, and farmers).
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