Memories Of Old Tonga

By "Falo"

TO the south-west of Tongatabu (on which is Nukualofa, the capital of Tonga) lies the isolated little island of ’Ata (Pylstaart). It was inhabited by a family of a few hundred men, women and children.

One day a ship called. The best of the young men paddled out in their canoes, and were encouraged on board to trade, exchanging oil, vegetables, island curios for knives, spades, axes, clothing, etc.

Suddenly, the hatches closed down over their heads. The ship sailed off. It was a blackbirding ship.

I have before me a newspaper, Taumua Lelei, printed in the Tongan language in 1936. It was edited, I believe, by Bishop Blanc, of the Roman Catholic ? h^ r S h -' Nukualofa,, and published in lt tells of how the descendants of these ’Ata men were found Tahiti.

King George Tubou I removed the people from Ata to Eua, in 1863. Their village is Haatua. They could not have settled on a more suitable island in the whole of the Tonga Group than Eua.

There are creeks and hills. These hardworking people soon had a plentiful supply of food growing on their plantations.

Amongst the people who came away from Ata was a voung girl, about 12 years of age. Her treasured possession was her mother’s ike (pronounced ye-ke) a tapa mallet. Her mother had died years before. This old and well-worn ike had been in use for about 50 years The smooth side of it finished off the tapa cloth. Forty years ago she had it re modelled, and gave it to me saying “ Keep it in memory of me.” fITHE smooth side of this ike was alsc X used for another purpose. The pito, 0 r umbilical cords, of the newly born female infants of her family were laid on it, and cut with sharp bamboo. The use of the ike in making tapa, was to be her life’s work. Her pito was preserved then buried at the root of a sweet scented flowering tree. Through life she was reminded that she was to be as sweet as the flower, The pito of a male usually was buried at the root of a mighty tree which could defy a storm. It was laid on an akauta (dub). At the moment it was cut a war cry was given, announcing to the village that a fi|hter was born, My parents took two to be buried at

the root of a tao tree (iron-bark) on the island of Velitoa Hahake. It was my brother’s and my pito. I never grew up sweet; and I used to hear my mother say that I should have been a boy,”

I have, also, among my treasured pos sessions, the eight pito of my children.

They were flown across the Tasman with me, awaiting the day when and where I may settle down for life. I shall cele brate the burying of them, because that will give the children long life and success.

IT was the custom, too, in Tonga, to take the sister or the cousin of a mother who had died in childbirth, to nurse the babe. The young girl was put to bed, nursed, kept warm, given milk-producing drink and food, and the babe, suckling, brought forth a flow of milk.

The mother’s family were the tua (inferior). They had charge of bring ing up of the children. The father’s family were the mua (superior). They were the head of the family. Nothing could be done without consulting them.

In about 1902 a Scotsman took a lease of Ata (Pylstaart) at £5O per annum, from the Tongan Government. Finding it difficult to work he returned the lease.

What a beautiful Pitcairn it would make for anyone—if Hitler is not alreadly there!