Tongan Prince's

New Name

Story of Tui Kanokubolu

JN future, the young Crowm Prince of Tonga, now officially of age and a stud ent at the University of Sydney, will be known as Prince Tubouto’a instead of Prince Taufa’ahau, The bestowing of this distinguished name, borne by an ancestor who was head of the famous Tui Kanokubolu line, is an interesting survival of Tongan cus tom. An essentially ceremonious people, and sticklers for etiquette, the Tongans are perhaps the least influenced by Euro pean culture in such matters. The bes towal of this name is a happy augury for the future reign of this enlightened young Prince, whose aim to. to combine the learning of the Europeans with the wisdom of his own people, In all Polynesia, none can boast more distinguished descent than Prince Tubouto’a. In his veins runs the blood of the two great lines of ancient Tonga, a people who claim the gods themselves as ancestors, Of course, for that matter, so do the Tahitians, the Maoris, the Sam oans, and other branches of the wide spread Polynesian family. But the Ton gan line has been kept essentially pure.

The Crown Prince is 22nd in descent from Gata, who was Tui Kanokubolu about 1610, and fifth in line from the first Tubouto’a.

The first Tubouto’a figured prominently in the history of his period as a warrior.

According to one Tongan account Ulaki, Tubouto’a’s elder brother, should have succeeded to the office of Tui Kano

kubolu: he actually put forward his claim at ’Uiha and was prepared to act upon it.

“But owing to some of the proper chiefs not having been consulted,” (says Rev.

A. H. Wood, ex-principal of Tubou Col lege in his History of Tonga, published in 1932, and the latest work on the king dom) “he was not regarded as validly chosen and was not installed at Bagai, the official place of appointment.” How ever, it is apparent that Tubo.uto’a often led the warriors of Haapai in attacks on Tongatabu, both before and after 1812.

The effect was a continuation of the misery that the people suffered in the time of Finau Ulukalala.

The illustrious Taufa’ahau (1797-1893) was the son of Tubouto’a. At the time of his father’s death he was about 23 years old. But no attempt was made to appoint either Taufa’ahau or anyone else Tui Kanokubolu. The objection to the future ruler of all Tonga at that time was that he was far too energetic a person to please the rebellious chiefs of Tongatabu, who were principally responsible for the then divided conditions in those islands.

The position of Tui Kanokubolu, there fore, was left vacant from 1820, on the death of Tubouto’a, until 1826, when Aleamotu’a or Jiosaia Tubou, (another son of Mumui), was appointed. Taufa’a hau then succeeded and held office until his death in 1893, being succeeded by Jiaoji Tubou 11. (George II.), who died in 1918. Queen Salote Mafile’o Veiogo, D.8.E., the present Queen, is, of course, the present head of that noble line, and in the ordinary course of events her son, the new Tubouto’a, will succeed as Tui Kanokubolu, as well as King of Tonga.

The story of Taufa’ahau, or King George 1., is too well known to relate here. Appropriately enough, he has been called “the Maker of Modern Tonga.”

Prom 1810 until 1893, Taufa’ahau wit nessed the transformation of his country from a divided non-Christian state to the model Christian kingdom we now know.

His name was conferred upon him be cause he was supposed to have been cured of an illness by the god Taufa of ’Ahau.

As a young man he is said to have ex celled all others in manly sports and fighting. Many stories of his athletic prowess still survive. In the Crown Prince he has a descendant worthy of his great name, for the new Prince Tubouto’a has won a reputation, both in Tonga and in Australia, as an athlete.

The Prince also is keenly interested in the history, traditions, and lore of his people. Not long before he left Sydney in December for Tonga, he spent some time in the Mitchell Library, He was intensely interested in the drawings made in Tonga 150 years ago by Cook’s artists, and he found several representa tions of head-dresses and other ornamen tation which can no longer be found in the kingdom. But what interested him most of all were some sketches of his own ancestral estate as it was in Cook’s day.

The Prince is a member of the Po Iy nesian Club of Sydney, and he has prom ised to deliver a lecture on the customs

of his people.

“Eriki”