Humanities and Social Sciences

Anthropology Program

Tongan History Association Newsletter

Vol.14 No.1, May 2003

Tongan History Association Conference 2003

The Tongan History Association Conference will be in Nuku'alofa on 8-11 July 2003. We shall be meeting in the Free Wesleyan Church Centre meeting room, which is near Mala'e Kula. Morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea will be included in the $50 registration fee.

Elizabeth Wood-Ellem has been revising the THA members list over the last few weeks, and now has about 60 correct email and postal addresses. If you would like your details updated or added to the list, please advise her (Elizabeth’s contact details can be found at the end of this newsletter).

Some of the confirmed presenters are listed below:

David Burley (keynote speaker): Title to be announced.

Futa Helu, “A Short History of Tongan Values”

Natalie Hunt "Not One or the Other: The Struggle of Polynesian Americans in Discovering their Identity"

Fane Tali & Moana Hansen, "American Standards of Beauty and its Effects on Pacific Islander Women"

'Umu Kisia Tukuafu, "Serving as a Student Leader"

‘Ofa Falepapalangi, Angeles Havili & Nativa Cazeau, "Does Religion Advocate Tongan Cultural Traditions? A Comparative Look at the Mormons and Methodist Faiths in Utah”

Michael R. Malohifo'ou, "Wellness Plan for the Contemporary Tongan"

Karen Vea & Mariean L. Asay, "Tongan Gangs and Crimes”

Kopelani Pei, Mataele Finau, Sione Ngata Tavake, Katrina Moala, Martin Palmer,

PANEL: "Retention in Higher Education: A Comparative Look at Tongan Retention"

Anapesi L. Kai'li & Tevita O. Ka'ili, "Kainga Tonga 'i he Vahaope: Tongans in Cyberspace"

Melenaite Taumoefolau, “Issues in Translating Queen Sālote’s Poetry into English”
Heather Young Leslie: “Researching a Social History of Medicine in Tonga: Sources and Preliminary Results”

Elizabeth Wood-Ellem: “Tupou II: his place in Tongan History”.

Adrienne Kaeppler: “Some Contributions of Tupou II to Tongan Art and Society”

Helen Morton Lee: “Becoming Postcolonial: Tongans in the Diaspora”

Phyllis Herda, “The Life of Sarah Thomas”

Meredith Filihia, “Pulotu and the Female Element of the ‘Inasi”.

Kolokesa U. Mahina: "Koloa tukufakaholo: Issues and challenges involving the management of Tonga's cultural heritage"

Malia Talakai: "Art and intellectual property: The work of Tongan
artist Filipe Tohi on kupesi and lalava"

Filipe Tohi & 'Okusitino Mahina: "Tufunga lalava: the Tongan art of kohi-va, 'line-space' intersection”

'Okusitino Mahina: "Towards a general ta-va, 'time-space' theory of nature, mind and society"
Filipe Tohi, “Lotomotu’a: Insideout”

Paul Taylor, “A Preliminary Report of Volcanic Ash Falls in the Kingdom of Tonga: Probable Effects on the Developing Communities”

New Members

Richard Nightingale, 8/95 Greys Avenue, Auckland City, New Zealand.

Kalafi Moala, 13 Rockfield Road, Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand.

Publications

Books

Evans, Mike, Persistence of the Gift: Tongan Tradition in Transnational Context, Waterloo, Ontario, Wilfred Laurier University Press, 2001.

Linkels, Ad, Sounds of Change in Tonga: dance, Music and Cultural Dynamics in a Polynesian Kingdom, Tilburg, Netherlands, Mundo Etnico Foundation, 1998.

Moimoi, Aneti Magdalen, Der Traum von den Freundlichen Inseln, Adliswil, Switzerland, Tanner Verlag, 1997.

Schober, Emma, South Seas Reminiscences: Mrs Emma Schober in the Kingdom of Tonga, 1902-1921, Nuku’alofa, Lupelani Foundation, 1997.

Book Chapters

Burley, David, ‘Lapita Settlement to the East: New Data and Changing Perspectives from Ha’apai (Tonga) Prehistory’, in Jean-Christophe Galipaud & Ian Lilley (eds), The Pacific from 5000 to 2000 BP: Colonisation and Transformations, Paris, IRD, 1999.

Morton, Helen, ‘From Ma’uli to Motivator: Transformations in Reproductive Health Care in Tonga’, in Vicki Lukere & Margaret Jolley (eds), Birthing in the Pacific: Beyond Tradition and Modernity, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2001.

Spurway, John, ‘An Indigenous Perspective? Inside the Mind of Ma’afu”, in P. Hempenstall & Brij Lal (eds) Pacific Lives, Pacific Places, Journal of Pacific History Monograph, Canberra, 2001, pp. 54-69

Journal Articles

Douaire-Marsaudon, Francoise, ‘Le Bain Mysterieux de la Tu’i Tonga Fefine. Germanité, inceste et mariage sacré en Polynésie (Partie 1)’ in Anthropos, 97:1, 2002, pp. 147-63.

James, Kerry, ‘The Recent Elections in Tonga: Democratic Supporters Win but does Democracy Follow?’ in Journal of Pacific History, 37:3, 2002, pp. 313-322.

James, Kerry, “The Cost of Custom: A Recent Funeral in Tonga”, Journal of the Polynesian Society, 111:3, 2002, pp. 223-238.

Perminow, Arne Aleksej, ‘Captain Cook and the Roots of Precedence in Tonga “leading”and “following” as naturalised concepts’, in History and Anthropology, 12:3, 2001, pp. 255-88.

Spurway, John, ‘Fiji’s First Tui Lau’, in History Now, 8:1, 2002, pp. 8-13.

van der Grijp, Paul, ‘Configurations d’identité et contextes coloniaux: une comparison entre Tonga et Hawaii’, Journal de la Société des Oceanistes, 113, 2001, 177-92.

Request for Assistance

My name is Greg Jorgensen and I live on the Gold Coast. I have been interested in the postal history of Tonga for about 25 years now and have written a number of articles in the journal of the Tonga and Tin Can Study Group between 1981 and 2000 (the group is now disbanded). My in-depth studies of the early stamps of Tonga have resulted in quite a few additions to the Stanley Gibbons catalogues in recent years and quite a number of articles being written. Lately I have become particularly interested in the modern postal history of Tonga and Niuafo’ou Islands for the period 1981 up to around the end of 1997. Nobody has ever studied the stamps or postal history for this particular period and nothing much has ever been written up about it to my knowledge. I am trying to do something about this before it is too late. I am doing up a large exhibit (128 pages) for the next National Stamp Show in Hobart Tasmania in April 2003. I already have gathered all the stamps from this period that I am going to show, but I also need to show examples of the stamps actually being used on envelopes that went through the mail (stamp collectors call the whole envelope with the stamps cancelled on them "covers"). I am interested in purchasing any "covers" from Tonga or Niuafo’ou that you may have lying around and which I might be able to use in the upcoming exhibit or in future exhibits and which I could use to illustrate articles. You may have received letters from time to time from Tonga or Niuafo’ou and you no longer need the envelopes the letters came in, which I would be happy to use in my exhibit. At present, I am particularly interested in any letters showing use of any of the stamps issued by Tonga in 1993 (the date is written on the bottom of all Tongan stamps in small lettering). I am just finishing a large study of the 1993 issues. I am quite happy to pay for any envelopes you may still have.

Get in touch with Greg by emailing Meredith Filihia (see below).

THA Executive

President: Professor Futa Helu, ‘Atenisi Institute, PO Box 90, Nuku’alofa, Tonga.

Fax: (676) 24819

Vice-President: Dr. Elizabeth Wood-Ellem, 28 View St, Alphington 3078, Victoria, Australia. Email: eowe28@optusnet.com.au

Secretary-Treasurer (Tonga): Mrs. Salote Fukofuka, USP Centre, PO Box 278, Nuku’alofa, Tonga. Email: fukofuka_s@usp.ac.fj

Secretary-Treasurer (Overseas)/Newsletter Editor: Dr. Meredith Filihia, P.O. Box 253, Craigieburn 3064, Australia. Email: mfilihia@optusnet.com.au

THA CONSTITUTION: Any members who would like a copy of the THA Constitution please contact Meredith Filihia

PAYMENT OF DUES: Our financial year is from July to June, so dues should be renewed by the end of June each year. When sending dues please address cheques or money orders to the Tongan History Association (except for those sending to the NZ rep, in which case make payable to Phyllis Herda). Dues are $10 per year or $35 per five years for salaried members, and $5 per year and $18 per year for students/unsalaried members (all amounts in the currency of your country e.g. 10 dollars, 10 pa’anga, 10 pounds etc). When you send your dues please give a postal address so the newsletter can be posted to you.

Dues can be sent to any of the following THA representatives:

Tonga: Salote Fukofuka (see above)

New Zealand: Phyllis Herda, Women’s Studies, Private Bag 92019, University of Auckland, Auckland, NZ.

USA: National Tongan American Society, c/o Fahina Pasi, Chairperson NTAS Board, Center for Ethnic Student Affairs, University of Utah, 318 Union, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA.

Europe: Dr Ute Meiser, Adam-reise-Strasse 7, 81739 München, Germany.

Canada: Dr. Heather Young-Leslie, University of Alberta, Department of Anthropology, Tory Bldg 13-6, Edmonton AB, Canada, T6G 2H4.

Australia: Meredith Filihia (see above).

From the Secretary

This is my last newsletter as the Secretary/Treasurer for the THA. I would like to thank everybody who has made contributions over the last five years, and ask you to support the new secretary in his or her work. All executive positions will be declared vacant at the next conference, and I would encourage you to think about the contribution you could make to the THA by standing for one of these positions.

Tongan History Association Membership Application Form

I would like to join/renew my membership in the Tongan History Association. I enclose $10 regular/$5 student/$35 five-year regular/$18 five-year student membership fees.

Name:………………………………………….

Address: …………………………………………………………………………

Phone…………………………. Fax:………………………….

Email…………………………………………

Anything else you would like included in the newsletter e.g., your specific area of interest in Tonga, book reviews, news etc.

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