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The Tui Tonga Empire, or Tongan Empire, are descriptions sometimes given to
Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
n expansionism and projected hegemony in
Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...
which began around 950 CE, reaching its peak during the period 1200–1500. It was centred in Tonga on the island of
Tongatapu Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% of the nation ...
, with its capital at Mua. Modern researchers and cultural experts attest to widespread Tongan influence, evidence of transoceanic trade and exchange of material and non-material cultural artefacts.


History


Beginning of Tongan expansionism

As Samoa's Tui Manuʻa maritime empire began to decline, a new empire rose from the South. In 950 AD, the first Tu'i Tonga 'Aho'eitu started to expand his rule outside of Tonga. According to leading Tongan scholar Dr. 'Okusitino Mahina, the Tongan and Samoan oral traditions indicate that the first Tu'i Tonga was the son of their god
Tangaloa Tangaloa was an important family of gods in Tongan mythology. The first Tangaloa was the cousin of Havea Hikuleo and Maui, or in some sources the brother or son or father of them. He was Tangaloa Eiki (''T. lord''), and was assigned by his father, ...
.see writings of Ata of Kolovai in "O Tama a Aiga" by Morgan Tuimaleali'ifano; writings by Mahina, also coronation edition of Spasifik Magazine, "The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia," edited by Lal and Fortune, p. 133etc. As the ancestral homeland of the Tu'i Tonga dynasty and the abode of deities such as Tagaloa 'Eitumatupu'a, Tonga Fusifonua, and Tavatavaimanuka, the Manu'a islands of Samoa were considered sacred by the early Tongan kings."The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia," edited by Lal and Fortune, p. 133 By the time of the 10th Tu’i Tonga Momo, and his successor, Tuʻitātui, the Tu'i Tonga's empire had grown to include much of the former domains of the Tui Fiti and Tui Manu'a, with the Manu'a group being the only exception, remaining under Tui Manuʻa rule. To better govern the large territory, the Tuʻi Tonga had their throne moved by the lagoon at Lapaha,
Tongatapu Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% of the nation ...
. The influence of the Tuʻi Tonga was renowned throughout the Pacific, and many of the neighbouring islands participated in the widespread trade of resources and new ideas.


Expansion (1200–1500)

Under the 10th Tui Tonga, Momo and his son Tuitātui (11th Tui Tonga) the empire was at its height of expansion, tributes for the Tui Tonga were said to be exacted from all tributary chiefdoms of the empire. This tribute was known as the ''Inasi'' and was conducted annually at Mu'a following the harvest season when all countries that were subject to the Tui Tonga must bring a gift for the gods, who was recognized as the Tui Tonga. Captain Cook witnessed an Inasi ceremony in 1777, in which he noticed a lot of foreigners in Tonga, especially darker people from Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The finest mats of Samoa (ʻie tōga) are incorrectly translated as "Tongan mats;" the correct meaning is "treasured cloth" ("ie" = cloth, "tōga" = female goods, in opposition to "oloa" = male goods). Many fine mats came into the possession of the Tongan royal families through chiefly marriages with Samoan noblewomen, such as Tohuʻia, the mother of the first Tuʻi Kanokupolu, Ngata, who came from Safata, 'Upolu, Samoa. These mats, including the Maneafaingaa and Tasiaeafe, are considered the crown jewels of the current Tupou line (which is derived matrilineally from Samoa).see Songs and Poems of Queen Salote edited by
Elizabeth Wood-Ellem Dr Elizabeth Wood-Ellem (10 September 1930 – 8 September 2012) was a Tongan-born Australian historian actively engaged in the life of Tonga and author of the definitive biography of Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga. Birth and family Bo ...
The success of the Empire was largely based upon the Imperial Navy. The most common vessels were long-distance double-canoes fitted with triangular sails. The largest canoes of the Tongan ''kalia'' type could carry up to 100 men. The most notable of these were the ''Tongafuesia'', ''Ākiheuho'', the ''Lomipeau'', and the ''Takaipōmana''. It should be mentioned that the ''Takaipōmana'' was actually a Samoan kalia; according to Queen Sālote and the Palace Records this was the Samoan double-hulled canoe that brought Tohu'ia Limapō from Sāmoa to wed the Tu'i Ha'atakalaua. The large navy allowed for Tonga to become wealthy with large amounts of trade and tribute flowing into the Royal Treasury.


Decline of Tui Tonga and two new dynasties

The Tui Tonga decline began due to numerous wars and internal pressure. In the 13th or 14th century, the Samoans had expelled the Tongans from their lands after Tu'i Tonga Talakaifaiki was defeated in battle by the brothers Tuna, Fata and Savea, progenitors of the Malietoa family. In response, the falefā was created as
political advisor Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely te ...
s to the Empire. The falefā officials were initially successful in maintaining some hegemony over other subjected islands but increased dissatisfaction led to the assassination of several rulers in succession. The most notable were, Havea I (19th TT), Havea II (22nd TT), and Takalaua (23rd TT), who were all known for their
tyrannical A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to r ...
rule. In AD 1535, Takalaua was assassinated by two foreigners while swimming in the lagoon of Mu'a. His successor, Kauulufonua I pursued the killers all the way to Uvea, where he killed them. Because of so many assassination attempts on the Tu'i Tonga, Kauulufonua established a new dynasty called the ''Ha'a Takalaua'' in honour of his father and gave his brother, Mo’ungamotu’a, the title of '' Tu’i Ha’atakalaua''. This new dynasty was to deal with the everyday decisions of the empire, while the position of Tu’i Tonga was to be the nation's spiritual leader, though he still controlled the final say in the life or death of his people. The Tu'i Tonga "empire" at this period becomes Samoan in orientation as the Tu'i Tonga kings themselves became ethnic Samoans who married Samoan women and resided in Samoa. Kau'ulufonua's mother was a Samoan from Manu'a, Tu'i Tonga Kau'ulufonua II and Tu'i Tonga Puipuifatu had Samoan mothers and as they married Samoan women the succeeding Tu'i Tonga – Vakafuhu, Tapu'osi, and 'Uluakimata – were allegedly more "Samoan" than "Tongan."


Samoan Influence and the Rise of the Tu'i Kanokupolu

In Samoa, the high chief of Safata, Ama Lele married Soli'ai, a daughter of the Tui Manu'a. They produced a son Peseta, who was to become the next Ama, and a daughter, Tohu'ia Limapo. Herewith contains the connection to the Tongan royal lineage through Tohu'ia Limapo. Limapo travelled to Tonga with her father Ama Lele, at the express request of the 6th Tu'i Ha'atakalaua of Tonga, to marry Ama Lele's daughter Limapo. Limapo travelled with a large wedding party, which consisted of the Ama family and the Safata warriors under the charge of Ama Lele. The product of this marriage was Ngata. In 1610, the 6th Tu'i Ha'a Takalaua, Mo'ungatonga, created the position of Tu’i Kanokupolu for the half-Samoan Ngata which divided regional rule between them, though as time went on the Tu’i Kanokupolu's power became more and more dominant over Tonga. This title granted Ngata considerable power and provided a strong foundation for his new title of Tu'i Kanokupolu, (translated as the 'Heart of Upolu', a direct homage to his mother's heritage.The Tu'i Kanokupolu dynasty oversaw the importation and institution of many Samoan policies and titles and according to Tongan scholars, this "Samoanized" form of government and custom continues today in the modern Kingdom of Tonga Things continued in this manner afterward. The first Europeans arrived in 1616, when the Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire spotted Tongans in a canoe off the coast of Niuatoputapu, followed by Abel Tasman. These visits were brief, however, and did not significantly change the island. The dividing line between the two moieties was the old coastal road named ''Hala Fonua moa'' (dry land road). Modern chiefs who derive their authority from the Tui Tonga are still named the ''Kau Hala Uta'' (inland road people), while those from the Tui Kanokupolu are known as the ''Kau Hala Lalo'' (low road people). Concerning the Tui Haatakalaua supporters: when this division arose, in the 15th century, they were of course the Kauhalalalo. But when the Tui Kanokupolu had overtaken them they shifted their allegiance to the Kauhalauta.


Modern scholarship

Modern archeology, anthropology and linguistic studies confirm widespread Tongan cultural influence ranging widely through East 'Uvea, Rotuma, Futuna, Samoa and Niue, parts of Micronesia (Kiribati, Pohnpei), Vanuatu and New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands, and while some academics prefer the term "maritime chiefdom", others argue that, while very different from examples elsewhere, "..."empire" is probably the most convenient term." Pacific voyaging after the exploration period" NEICH, R. 2006 in K.R. Howe (ed.) Vaka Moana, voyages of the ancestors: the discovery and settlement of the Pacific: 198-245. Auckland: David Bateman. p230


See also

*
History of Tonga The history of Tonga is recorded since the ninth century BC, when seafarers associated with the Lapita diaspora first settled the islands which now make up the Kingdom of Tonga. Along with Fiji and Samoa, the area served as a gateway into the re ...
*
Early history of Tonga The early history of Tonga covers the islands' settlement and the early Lapita culture through to the rise of the Tuʻi Tonga Empire. What is known about Tonga before European contact comes from myths, stories, songs, poems, (as there was no writi ...
*
Thalassocracy A thalassocracy or thalattocracy sometimes also maritime empire, is a state with primarily maritime realms, an empire at sea, or a seaborne empire. Traditional thalassocracies seldom dominate interiors, even in their home territories. Examples ...


References


External links


Government site on the history of Tonga
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tui Tonga Empire Former empires Former monarchies of Oceania History of Tonga Island countries 10th-century establishments in Oceania 1865 disestablishments in Oceania States and territories established in the 950s States and territories disestablished in 1865 Overseas empires