Princess 'Elisiva Fusipala Tauki'onetuku Tuku'aho Vaha'i of

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

(12 June 1949 – 2 October 2014), normally referred to as Princess Fusipala or even just Fusipala, was a daughter of

Fatafehi Tuʻipelehake Prince Fatafehi Tuʻipelehake OBE (Sione Ngū Manumataongo; 7 January 1922 – 10 April 1999) was the youngest son of Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga. He was the prime minister of Tonga from 1965 to 1991, a record tenure of over 25 years, ser ...

. Fusipala was one of the Tuʻi Pelehake's six children, four of whom were girls. On the occasion of her marriage to Hahano-ki-Mala'e Kula-'a Sione Ngu Namoa, Lord Vaha'i (1936–2005), the Vahaʻi of Foʻui, a member of the Tongan nobility,

John H. Groberg John Holbrook Groberg (born June 17, 1934) has been a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 1976. He is the author of ''The Eye of the Storm'', and was the protagonist in the movie made from the ...

, then the

mission president Mission president is a Priesthood (LDS Church), priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A mission president presides over a geographic area known as a Mission (LDS Church), mission and the M ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church) in Tonga, gave Fusipala and Hahano a copy of the

Standard Works The Standard Works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church, the largest in the Latter Day Saint movement) are the four books that currently constitute its open scriptural canon. The four books of the standard works are: * ...

of the LDS Church as a wedding present. This was in 1968. In 1989 Fusipala joined the LDS Church. ʻIsileli T. Kongaika, who was president of the Tongan

Mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

at the time of Fusipala's baptism, said that she was the first member of Tonga's royal family to join the LDS Church. Her main period of learning about the denomination was while visiting Sepiuta and Larripotoa Fehoko in

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana (Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census. As ...

. The Fehokos took Fusipala to church with them at the Santa Ana 6th (Tongan-speaking)

branch A branch, also called a ramus in botany, is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins. History and etymology In Old English, there are numerous words for branch, includ ...

. Her instruction in the gospel was done by

branch president A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, th ...

Heilala T. Finau.

Marriage and descent

Princess 'Elisiva Fusipala Tauki'onetuku Tuku'aho married at the Chapel Royal, Nuku'alofa, Tongatapu, 13 March 1968, Hahano-ki-Mala'e Kula-'a Sione Ngu Namoa, Lord Vaha'i, of Fo'ui (b. at Kolosi'i, Fo'ui, Tongatapu, 1 May 1936; d. at Middlemore Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand, 22 May 2005), sometime MLA, eldest son of Vilisoni Fahitaha Namoa, Vaha'i, of Foui, by his wife, Vika Kaufusi Vaha'i, daughter of Tevita 'Unga Taufu'-i-'aevalu, of Koulo, Lifuka. She has issue, two sons and two daughters: *

Nikotimasi Fatafehi Laufilitonga Kakau Vahaʻi Nikotimasi Fatafehi Laufilitonga Kakau Vahaʻi (born September 1971), styled Lord Vaha'i, is a Tongan noble and politician. He holds the title of Vahaʻi of Foʻui. Vaha'i was born in 1971 to Hahano-ki-Malaʻe Kula-ʻa Sione Ngu Namoa, Lord Vaha� ...

(born 13 September 1971); married Va'etu'ikoloa Amelia Tunakaimanu Tuita-Vaha'i. They have six children; 3 daughters & 3 sons. Fusipala Tukuofo Kihe Hau, Fatafehi Nikotimasi Laufilitonga Kakau Jnr who is the heir to the Vaha'i title; Vika Kaufusi Mafile’o Vahai, Amethyst Tukumuli-Ki-Uvea Vaha'i, Aidan Utoikamanu Vaha'i and the youngest Tu’ihalafatai Vaha’i. * Siosifa ʻAlematea Vahaʻi; married Dr. Veisinia Matoto Vaha'i and they have one daughter, Jordan Lavinia Veiongo Matoto Vaha'i. * ʻElisiva Taukiʻonetuku Vete, Vahaʻi. oo Semi Vete Jnr. She has three children: two daughters, Melenaite Tupou Moheofo Vaha'i and Simone, and a son, Hirohito Vete. * Sinaitakala ʻOfeina Leanahola Vahaʻi

Honours

Orders

* King George Tupou V Royal Family Order (1.8.2011)

Medals

King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV Coronation Silver Jubilee Medal (4.7.1992) * King George Tupou V Coronation Medal (1.8.2008 )

Ancestry

''See the Tongan language page and ancestor's page ...''

Sources

*Groberg, John H. ''The Fire of Faith''. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996) p. 122. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fusipala, Princess 1949 births 2014 deaths Converts to Mormonism Tongan Latter Day Saints Tongan royalty 20th-century Tongan people 20th-century Tongan women 21st-century Tongan people 21st-century Tongan women People from Tongatapu Tongan princesses Children of prime ministers of Tonga