Tonga (pronounced ),
officially the Kingdom of Tonga (Tongan: Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo
Tonga), an archipelago in the
South Pacific
Ocean
, comprises 169 islands, 36 of them inhabited, and
stretches over a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 miles) in a
north-south line. The islands that constitute the archipelago
lie south of Samoa
, about
one-third of the way from New Zealand
to Hawai
i
.
Tonga also became known to geographers as the
Friendly
Islands because of the friendly reception accorded to
Captain James Cook on his first visit in
1773. He happened to arrive at the time of the
inasi
festival, the yearly donation of the first fruits to the
Tu i Tonga, the islands' paramount chief, and
received an invitation to the festivities. According to the writer
William Mariner, in reality
the chiefs had wanted to kill Cook during the gathering, but were
unable to agree on a plan.
Tonga, the only sovereign
monarchy among
the island nations of the Pacific Ocean, has a unique history as
the only island nation in the region to have avoided formal
colonisation.
Etymology
In many Polynesian languages, the word "Tonga" means "South". The
name of Tonga derives from the word
Tongahahake, which
translates to "Southeast", originally meaning "the wind that blows
from the Southeast". The proper pronunciation of the name 'Tonga'
is , and not , a pronunciation used for
an Indian carriage spelled in the same way
and so causing confusion.
History
An Austronesian-speaking group linked to the archeological
construct known as the
Lapita cultural
complex reached and colonized Tonga around 1500–1000 BCE. The
dates of the initial settlement of Tonga are still subject to
debate. Nevertheless, reaching the Tongan islands (without Western
navigational tools and techniques) was a remarkable feat
accomplished by the Lapita peoples. Not much is known about Tonga
before European contact because of the lack of a writing system
during prehistoric times other than the oral history told to the
Europeans and the Eurocentric interpretations of Polynesian culture
by Europeans.The first time the Tongan people encountered Europeans
was in 1616 when the Dutch vessel
Eendracht made a short
visit to the islands to trade.
By the
12th century Tongans, and the Tongan paramount chief, the Tu i, had a reputation across the central
Pacific, from Niue
to Tikopia
, leading
some historians to speak of a 'Tongan
Empire'. In the 15th century and again in the 17th,
civil war erupted.
It was in this context that the first
European explorers arrived, beginning with Dutch
explorers
Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire in 1616, who called on the
northern island of Niuatoputapu
, and Abel Tasman, who
visited Tongatapu
and Ha
apai
in 1643. Later noteworthy European visits
were by
Captain Cook (British Navy) in
1773, 1774, and 1777,
Alessandro
Malaspina (Spanish Navy) in 1793, the first London
missionaries in 1797, and the
Wesleyan Methodist Walter Lawry Buller in 1822.
In 1845 the ambitious young warrior, strategist, and orator
Tāufa āhau united Tonga into a kingdom.
He held the chiefly title of
Tu i
Kanokupolu, but was baptised with the name King George. In
1875, with the help of missionary
Shirley Waldemar Baker, he declared
Tonga a constitutional monarchy, formally adopted the western royal
style, emancipated the 'serfs', enshrined a code of law, land
tenure, and freedom of the press, and limited the power of the
chiefs.
Tonga became a
protected state under
a Treaty of Friendship on , when European settlers and rival Tongan
chiefs tried to oust the second king. Within the
British Empire, which posted no higher
permanent representative on Tonga than a British
Consul (1901-1970), it was part of
the
British Western
Pacific Territories (under a colonial
High Commissioner, then residing on Fiji)
from 1901 until 1952. Although under the protection of Britain,
Tonga is the only Pacific nation never to have given up its
monarchical government as did Tahiti and Hawai i. The Tongan
monarchy unlike the UK follows a straight line of rulers.
The Treaty of Friendship and Tonga's protectorate status ended in
1970 under arrangements established by Queen
Salote Tupou III prior to her death in
1965. Tonga joined the
Commonwealth of Nations in 1970
(atypically as an
autochthonous
monarchy, that is one with its own hereditary monarch rather than
Elizabeth II),
and the
United Nations in September
1999. While exposed to colonial forces, Tonga has never lost
indigenous governance,
a fact that makes Tonga unique in the Pacific and gives Tongans
much pride, as well as confidence in their monarchical system. As
part of cost cutting measures across the British Foreign Service,
the British Government closed the
British High Commission in Nuku
alofa in March 2006, transferring representation of British
interests in Tonga to the UK High Commissioner in Fiji. The last
resident British High Commissioner was Paul Nessling.
Geography
Administratively Tonga can be divided into
five divisions:
'Eua
, Ha'apai, Niuas, Tongatapu, and Vava'u
.
Politics
Tonga operates as a
constitutional monarchy. The
reverence for the monarch is likened to that held in earlier
centuries for the sacred paramount chief, the Tu i Tonga. Criticism
of the monarch is held to be contrary to Tongan culture and
etiquette. A direct descendant of the first monarch, King
George Tupou V, his family, some powerful
nobles, and a growing non-royal elite caste live in much wealth,
with the rest of the country living in relative poverty. The
effects of this disparity are mitigated by three factors:
education, medicine, and land tenure.
Tonga provides free and mandatory
education for all children up to the age of
fourteen, with only nominal fees for secondary education, and
foreign-funded scholarships for post-secondary education. Tongans
enjoy a relatively high level of education, with a 98%
literacy rate, and higher education up to and
including medical and graduate degrees pursued mostly
overseas.
Tongans also have universal access to a national health system.
Tongan land is constitutionally protected and cannot be sold to
foreigners (although it may be leased).
While there is a land
shortage on the urbanized main island of Tongatapu (where 70% of the population resides), there is
farm land available in the outlying islands. The majority of
the population engages in some form of subsistence production of
food, with approximately half producing almost all of their basic
food needs through farming, sea harvesting, and animal husbandry.
Women and men have equal access to education and health care, and
are fairly equal in employment, but women are discriminated against
in land holding, electoral politics, and government ministries.
However, in Tongan tradition women enjoy a higher social status
than men, a cultural trait that is unique among the insular
societies of the Pacific.
The pro-
democracy movement in Tonga
promotes reforms, including better representation in the Parliament
for the majority commoners, and better accountability in matters of
state. An overthrow of the monarchy itself is not part of the
movement and the institution of monarchy continues to hold popular
support, even while reforms are advocated.
Until recently, the
governance issue was generally ignored by the leaders of other
countries, but major aid donors and neighbours New Zealand and Australia are now
expressing concerns about some Tongan government
actions.
Following the precedents of Queen Sālote, and the consel of
numerous international advisors, the government of Tonga under King
Tāufa āhau Tupou IV monetized the economy, internationalized the
medical and education system, and enabled access by commoners to
increasing forms of material wealth (houses, cars, and other
commodities), education, and overseas travel.
The government has
supported Olympic and other international sports competition, and
contributed Peacekeepers to the United Nations (notably to Bougainville
and the Solomon Islands
). The Tongan government also supported the
American "coalition of the
willing" action in Iraq
, and a small
number of Tongan soldiers were deployed, as part of an American
force, to Iraq in late 2004. However, the contingent of 40+
troops returned home on 17 December 2004. In 2007, a second
contingent was sent to Iraq while two more were sent during 2008 to
be part of Tonga's continuous support for the coalition. This
Tongan involvement was finally concluded at the end of 2008 with no
loss of Tongan life reported.
The previous king, Tāufa āhau and his government made some
problematic economic decisions and are accused of wasting millions
of dollars in poor investments.
The problems have mostly been driven by
attempts to increase national revenue through a variety of schemes,
considering making Tonga a nuclear waste disposal site (an idea
floated in the mid-90s by the current crown prince); selling Tongan
Protected Persons Passports (which eventually forced Tonga to
naturalize the purchasers, sparking ethnicity-based concerns within
Tonga); registering foreign ships (which proved to be engaged in
illegal activities, including shipments for al-Qaeda); claiming geo-orbital satellite slots
(the revenue from which seems to belong to the Princess Royal, not
the state); holding a long-term charter on an unusable Boeing 757 that was sidelined in Auckland
Airport, leading to the collapse of Royal Tongan
Airlines; building an airport hotel and potential casino with an
Interpol-accused criminal; and approving a factory for exporting
cigarettes to China (against the advice of
Tongan medical officials, and decades of health promotion
messaging). The king has proved vulnerable to speculators
with big promises and lost several million (reportedly
26 million USD) to
Jesse
Bogdonoff, a financial adviser who called himself the king's
Court Jester. The police have imprisoned
pro-democracy leaders, and the government repeatedly confiscated
the newspaper
The Tongan Times (which was printed in New
Zealand and sold in Tonga) because the editor had been vocally
critical of the king's mistakes. Notably, the
Kele a,
produced specifically to critique the government and printed in
Tonga by pro-democracy leader Akilisi Pōhiva, was not banned during
that time. Pōhiva, however, had been subjected to harassment in the
form of
frequent lawsuits.
In mid-2003 the government passed a radical constitutional
amendment to "Tonganize" the press, by licensing and limiting
freedom of the press, so as to protect the image of the monarchy.
The amendment was defended by the government and by royalists on
the basis of traditional cultural values. Licensure criteria
include 80% ownership by Tongans living in the country. As of
February 2004, those papers denied licenses under the new act
included the
Taimi o Tonga (
Tongan Times), the
Kele a and the
Matangi Tonga, while those which
were permitted licenses were uniformly church-based or
pro-government. The bill was opposed in the form of a
several-thousand-strong protest march in the capital, a call by the
Tu i Pelehake (a prince, nephew of the king and elected member of
parliament) for Australia and other nations to pressure the Tongan
government to democratize the electoral system, and a legal writ
calling for a judicial investigation of the bill. The latter was
supported by some 160 signatures, including seven of the nine
elected "People's Representatives". The strong-arm tactics and
gaffes have overshadowed the good that the aged king had done in
his lifetime, as well as the many beneficial reforms of his son,
Aho eitu Unuaki otonga Tuku aho (Lavaka Ata Ulukālala), who was
Prime Minister from January 3, 2000 to February 11, 2006. The
former Crown Prince and current monarch, Tupouto a, and Pilolevu,
the Princess Royal, remained generally silent on the issue. In
total, the changes threatened to destabilize the polity, fragment
support for the status quo, and place further pressure on the
monarchy.
In 2005 the government spent several weeks negotiating with
striking civil-service workers before reaching a settlement. The
civil unrest that ensued was not limited to just Tonga; protests
outside the king's New Zealand residence made headlines, too. A
constitutional commission is currently (2005-06) studying proposals
to update the constitution.
Prime Minister Prince
Aho eitu Unuaki otonga Tuku
aho resigned suddenly on February 11, 2006, and also gave up
his other cabinet portfolios. The elected Minister of Labour, Dr
Feleti Sevele, replaced him in the
interim.
On July
5, 2006 a driver in Menlo Park, California
caused the deaths of Prince Tu'ipelehake Uluvalu, his wife, and
their driver. Tu'ipelehake, 55, was the co-chairman of the
constitutional reform commission, and a nephew of the King.
The Tongan public expected some changes when Siaosi Tupou V (later
King George Tupou V) succeeded his father in 2006. On
November 16, 2006, rioting broke out in the
capital city of Nuku'alofa when it seemed that the parliament would
adjourn for the year without having made any advances in increasing
democracy in government. Pro-democracy activists burned and looted
shops, offices, and government buildings. As a result, more than
60% of the downtown area was destroyed, and as many as
6 people died.
On July 29, 2008 the Palace announced that King George Tupou V
would relinquish much of his power and would surrender his role in
day-to-day governmental affairs to the Prime Minister. The royal
chamberlain said that this was being done to prepare the monarchy
for 2010, when most of the first parliament will be elected, and
added: "The Sovereign of the only Polynesian kingdom... is
voluntarily surrendering his powers to meet the democratic
aspirations of many of his people." The previous week, the
government said the king had completed the sale of his ownership of
state assets which had contributed to much of the royal family's
wealth.
Economy
A Tongan one cent (seniti taha)
coin
Tonga's economy is characterized by a large non monetary sector and
a heavy dependence on remittances from the half of the country's
population that lives abroad, chiefly in Australia, New Zealand,
and the United States. The monetary sector of the economy is
dominated and largely owned by the royal family and nobles. This is
particularly true of the telecommunications and satellite services.
Much of small business, particularly retail establishments on
Tongatapu, is now dominated by recent
Chinese immigrants who arrived under a
cash-for-passports scheme that ended in 1998.
The manufacturing sector consists of
handicrafts and a few other very small
scale industries, all of which contribute only about 3% of GDP.
Commercial business activities also are inconspicuous and, to a
large extent, are dominated by the same large trading companies
found throughout the South Pacific. In September 1974, the
country's first commercial trading bank, the Bank of Tonga, opened.
There are no patent laws in Tonga.
Rural Tongans rely on
plantation and
subsistence agriculture.
Coconuts,
vanilla
beans,
bananas,
coffee beans and root crops such as yams, taro
and cassava, are the major
cash crops. The
processing of coconuts into
copra and
desiccated (dried) coconut was once the only
significant industry but deteriorating prices on the world market
has brought this once vibrant industry, as everywhere throughout
the island nations of the south Pacific, to a complete standstill.
In addition, the feudal land ownership system meant that farmers
had no incentive to invest in planting long-term tree crops on land
they did not own. Pigs and poultry are the major types of
livestock. Horses are kept for draft purposes,
primarily by farmers working their 'api 'uta (a plot of bushland).
More cattle are being raised, and beef imports are declining. The
export of squash to Japan once brought relief to a struggling
economy but recently local farmers are increasingly wary of this
market due to price fluctuations, not to mention the huge financial
risks involved.
Tonga's development plans emphasize a growing private sector,
upgrading agricultural productivity, revitalizing the squash and
vanilla bean industries, developing tourism, and improving the
island's communications and transportation systems. Substantial
progress has been made, but much work remains to be done. A small
but growing construction sector is developing in response to the
inflow of aid monies and remittances from Tongans abroad. It
remains to be said that the most significant contributor to Tonga's
economy are remittances from Tongans living abroad. In recognition
of such a crucial contribution, the present Tongan government has
created a new department within the Prime Minister's Office with
the sole purpose of catering for the needs of Tongans living
abroad. Furthermore, the Tongan Parliament in 2007 amended
citizenship laws to allow Tongans especially those living overseas
to hold dual citizenship.
Efforts are being made to discover ways to diversify. One hope is
seen in
fisheries; tests have shown that
sufficient skipjack tuna pass through Tongan waters to support a
fishing industry. Another potential development activity is
exploitation of
forests, which cover 35% of
the kingdom's land area but are decreasing as land is cleared.
Coconut trees past their prime bearing years also provide a
potential source of
timber.
The tourist industry is relatively undeveloped; however, the
government recognizes that tourism can play a major role in
economic development, and efforts are being made to increase this
source of revenue. Cruise ships often stop in Nuku alofa and Vava
u.
Vava'u in fact is well known for its whale watching, game fishing,
surfing, beaches and is increasingly becoming a major player in the
South Pacific tourism market.
Tonga’s
postage stamps,
which feature colorful and often unusual designs (including
heart-shaped and banana-shaped stamps) are popular with
philatelists around the world.
Real estate companies have also just started to spring up in Tonga;
as such, they were basically unheard of less than a decade ago.
These have provided a way of making income for many Tongans as
nearly every male Tongan has plots of land that he has never seen
and the leasing of this valuable and attractive land allows the
Tongan to live in a comfort not experienced before. There are also
many Tongans who work as commission agents and earn a living by
finding available land parcels and bringing them to local ex-pats
or computer savvy Tongans to list on-line. Some of these so-called
real estate companies have done more harm than good and one would
be wise to be careful when dealing with them. However for the most
part acquiring real estate in Tonga is a simple, straightforward
and problem-free process.
In 2005 the country became eligible to become a member of the
World Trade Organization,
however on July 25, 2006 it was announced that Tonga has deferred
its membership of the WTO until July next year according to the
Tongan Prime Minister, Dr. Feleti Sevele.
The delay he said did not mean that Tonga was withdrawing its WTO
membership application, but to give Tonga more time to improve its
tariff system.
The Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) was incorporated
in 1996 and endeavours to represent the interests of its members,
private sector businesses, and to promote economic growth in the
Kingdom.
Energy
Tonga is installing tailor-made policies to power its remote
islands in a sustainable way – without turning to expensive
grid-extensions. A number of islands within the Kingdom of Tonga
are lacking basic electricity supply. In view of the decreasing
reliability of
fossil-fuel
electricity generation, its increasing costs and negative
environmental side-effects,
renewable
energy solutions have attracted the government’s attention.
Together with
IRENA, Tonga has charted out a
renewable energy based strategy to power the main and outer islands
alike. The strategy focuses on
Solar
Home Systems that turn individual households into small power
plants. In addition, it calls for the involvement of local
operators, finance institutions and technicians to provide
sustainable business models as well as strategies to ensure the
effective operation, management and maintenance once the systems
are installed.
Demographics
Over 70% of the 101,991 inhabitants of the Kingdom of Tonga live on
its main island, Tongatapu. Although an increasing number of
Tongans have moved into the only urban and commercial centre, Nuku
alofa, where European and indigenous cultural and living patterns
have blended, village life and kinship ties continue to be
important throughout the country. Everyday life is heavily
influenced by Polynesian traditions and especially by the Christian
faith; for example, all commerce and entertainment activities cease
from midnight Saturday until midnight Sunday, and the constitution
declares the Sabbath to be sacred, forever. Some Tongans are
Methodists with a
significant Catholic minority
and a number of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (Mormons). The official figures from the latest government
census of 2006 (cf. www.pmo.gov.to/tongastats) shows that the four
major church affiliations in the kingdom currently stand as
follows: Free Wesleyans (38,052 or 37%); The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints ("Mormons") (17,109 or 17%); Catholics (15,992
or 16%); Free Church of Tonga (11,599 or 11%). By their own church
statistics,
Mormons
claim 48 percent of the population to substantiate their claim that
Tonga is the most Mormon nation in the world, a phenomenon which
has been remarked upon in such publications as
Salon.
Tongans,
Polynesian by ethnicity with a
very small mixture of
Melanesian,
represent more than 98% of the inhabitants. The rest are
European (the majority are
British), mixed European, and other
Pacific Islanders. There were
approximately 3,000 or 4,000
Chinese in
Tonga in 2001, thus comprising 3 or 4% of the total Tongan
population. In 2006,
Nuku alofa
riots mainly targeted Chinese-owned businesses, leading to the
emigration of several hundred Chinese.
Primary education between ages 6 and 14 is compulsory and free in
state schools. Mission schools provide about 8% of the primary and
90% of the secondary level of education. State schools make up for
the rest. Higher education includes teacher training, nursing and
medical training, a small private university, a woman's business
college, and a number of private agricultural schools. Most higher
education is pursued overseas.
The
Tongan language is the official
language of the islands, along with
English. Tongan is a
Polynesian language which is closely
related to Wallisian (
Uvean),
Niuean,
Hawaiian, and
Samoan.
70% of Tongan women aged 15–85 are obese. Tonga and nearby
Nauru have the world’s fattest populations.
Culture and diaspora
Tonga has been inhabited for perhaps 3,000 years, since settlement
in late
Lapita times. The
culture of its inhabitants has surely changed
greatly over this long time period.
Before the arrival of European explorers
in the late 1600s and early 1700s, the Tongans were in frequent
contact with their nearest Oceanic neighbors, Fiji
and Samoa. In
the 1800s, with the arrival of Western traders and missionaries,
Tongan culture changed dramatically. Some old beliefs and habits
were thrown away, and others adopted. Some accommodations made in
the 1800s and early 1900s are now being challenged by changing
Western civilization.
Contemporary Tongans often have strong ties to overseas lands.
Many
Tongans have emigrated to Australia,
New
Zealand, and the United States
to seek employment and a higher standard of
living. U.S.
cities with
significant Tongan American populations include Seattle,
Washington
; Portland,
Oregon
; Anchorage, Alaska
; Inland Empire, California
; San Mateo, California
; East Palo Alto, California
; San Bruno, California
; Oakland, California
; Inglewood, California
; Los Angeles, California
; Salt Lake City, Utah
; Honolulu,
Hawaii
; Reno,
Nevada
, and Euless, Texas
(in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex).
Large
Tongan communities can also be found in Auckland, New
Zealand, and in Melbourne
and Sydney
, Australia. This Tongan
diaspora is still closely tied to relatives at
home, and a significant portion of Tonga's income derives from
remittances to family members (often aged) who prefer to remain in
Tonga.
Tongans, therefore, often have to operate in two different
contexts, which they often call
anga fakatonga, the
traditional Tongan way, and
anga fakapãlangi, the Western
way. A culturally adept Tongan learns both sets of rules and when
to switch between them.
Sport
Rugby union is the national sport in
Tonga, and the
national
team ('Ikale Tahi or Sea Eagles) has performed quite well on
the international stage.
Although in recent years the national team
has not performed as well as neighboring Samoa and Fiji, Tonga has
competed in five Rugby World Cups,
the first being in 1987.
The
2007 Rugby World Cup was
its most successful to date, with Tonga winning both of its first
two matches, against the
USA 25–15 and
Samoa 19–15; and
came very close to upsetting the eventual winners of the 2007
tournament, the South African Springboks, losing 30–25 in the end.
They then lost to England 36–20 in their last pool game to end
their hopes of making the knockout stages but were by no means
disgraced. In fact, by picking up third place in their pool games
behind South Africa and England, Tonga has since been rewarded with
automatic qualification for the 2011 Rugby World Cup to be held in
New Zealand.
Its best result prior to 2007 was in
1995 when they won one game beating
Ivory Coast 29–11, and
1999
when they won one game beating Italy 28–25 (although with only 14
men they lost heavily to England, 10–101). Tonga performs the
"
Sipi Tau" (war dance) before its matches.
Tonga used to compete in the
Pacific
Tri-Nations against Samoa and Fiji which has now been replaced
by the
IRB Pacific 6 Nations
involving as well Japan, the second string
All Blacks (Junior All Blacks) and
Wallabies (Australia A) although from 2008 the
Junior All Blacks would be replaced by the Maori All Blacks. At
club level, there are the
Datec Cup Provincial
Championship and the
Pacific Rugby
Cup. Rugby union is governed by the
Tonga Rugby Football Union, which
is also a member of the
Pacific Islands Rugby
Alliance. Tonga contributes to the
Pacific Islanders rugby union
team.
Jonah Lomu,
Viliami 'Ofahengaue and
George Smith,
Wycliff Palu,
Tatafu
Polota-Nau are all of Tongan descent. Rugby is popular in the
nation's schools and students from schools such as Tonga College,
Tupou College are regularly offered
scholarships from New Zealand, Australia and Japan.
Rugby league has also gained some
success in Tonga. In the
2008 Rugby League World Cup
Tonga recorded wins
against
Ireland
and
Scotland. In
addition to the success of the national team, many players of
Tongan descent make it big in the Australian
National Rugby League competition.
These include
Willie Mason,
Brent Kite,
Willie
Tonga,
Anthony Tupou,
Antonio Kaufusi,
Israel Folau,
Taniela
Tuiaki,
Michael
Jennings,
Feleti Mateo,
Fetuli Talanoa, to name but a few.
Subsequently, some Tongan Rugby League players have established
successful careers in the British Super League.
Tongan
Boxer Paea
Wolfgram won the silver medal in the Super Heavyweight division
(>91 kg) at the 1996 Atlanta
Summer Olympics. He thus became one of the
very few Polynesians or Pacific Islanders to win an Olympic medal,
alongside Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku (a.k.a.
Duke Kahanamoku), a native Hawaiian.
Tongan women are known for being skillful jugglers.
A number of US citizens of Tongan descent have made successful
careers in
American football.
Euless' Trinity High
School, the Texas
state
champion football team in 2007 and #1 ranked team nationally in
2008, has several Tongan players. Haloti Ngata is a professional football player
in the
NFL. Ngata is a defensive lineman for the
Baltimore Ravens.
Vai Sikahema, a native of Tonga, is a former
NFL running back/kick returner, who now is a sportscaster in
Philadelphia
. Ma'ake
Kemoeatu, also born in Tonga, plays as a defensive tackle for
the Carolina Panthers. His brother
Chris
Kemoeatu plays as an offensive guard for the
Pittsburgh Steelers.
Media
Regional distribution
- Taimi o Tonga — Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, United
States of America
Domestic distribution
- Kele'a — Newspaper
- Talaki — Newspaper
- Kalonikali — Newspaper
- Tau'ataina — Newspaper
See also
References
Further reading
- Ancient Tonga and the Lost City of Mu'a: Including Samoa,
Fiji and Raratonga by David Hatcher Childress
- The Art of Tonga by Keith St. Cartmail
- Becoming Tongan: An Ethnography of Childhood by Helen
Morton
- Birds of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa by Dick Watling
- A Guide to the Birds of Fiji and Western Polynesia:
Including American Samoa, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and
Wallis and Futuna by Dick Watling
- Guide to the Birds of the Kingdom of Tonga by Dick
Watling
- Lonely Planet Guide: Samoan Islands and Tonga by
Susannah Farfor and Paul Smitz
- Moon Travel Guide: Samoa-Tonga by David Stanley
- Queen Salote of Tonga: The Story of an Era, 1900-65 by
Elizabeth Wood-Ellem
- Toki by Brian K. Crawford
- Tonga by James Siers
- The Tonga Book by Paul. W. Dale
- Tonga: A New Bibliography by Martin Daly
- Tradition Versus Democracy in the South Pacific: Fiji,
Tonga and Western Samoa by Stephanie Lawson
- Voyages: From Tongan Villages to American Suburbs
Cathy A. Small
External links
- Government
- General information
- News media (online only)
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