Tofor-kon Tete Rengrengmal (c. 1918–December 1999) was a Vanuatuan

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

from Malampa Island who was involved in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Early life and family

Tofor-kon Tete Rengrengmal was born around 1918. His father, Chief Tainmal, was a high-ranking chief on Malampa.

Career

In his adolescence, Tofor was known as a skilled warrior. He was recruited by Chief Bule Tainmal to serve as his

bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...

. During

, Tofor received training from the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

of the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

and saw combat in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

Legal disputes and allegations

Tofor was accused of involvement in several killings, leading to disputes with authorities from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Witnesses reportedly attributed these deaths to Tofor's perceived "mystical powers", and legal action by authorities was reportedly difficult to pursue due to a lack of concrete

evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports the proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the proposition is truth, true. The exact definition and role of evidence vary across different fields. In epistemology, evidence is what J ...

Legacy and honors

By the time of Chief Bule Tainmal's death in 1972, Tofor had achieved the Meleun Getlam rank. He presided over the death ceremony for his father and fulfilled his Mal rank obligations on the same day. Tofor died in December 1999.

External links

* Vanuatuan chiefs 1999 deaths Year of birth uncertain

References

{{Vanuatu-bio-stub