Pacific

Early Missionary Effort in the Pacific

By J. D. Whitcombe

ON October 12, 1835, just over 110 years ago, the Reverend William Cross and the Reverend David Cargill, Methodist missionaries, who were then labouring in the Friendly Islands, arrived at Lakeba, Fiji, in a sailing vessel named the “Blackbird.” They were accom panied by a small party of christianised Tongans.

Tradition runs that prior to this a few native Roman Catholic teachers from Tahiti came to this same island, Lakeba. but they were slain and eaten by the orders of the chief.

Although no opposition was offered to Cross and Cargill, it can be believed that these early nioneers encountered many adventures and endured much hardship.

Quickly acquiring a working knowledge of the Lakeba dialect, they set them selves the formidable task of converting a race of heathen cannibals to Chris tianity.

One of the first duties Cargill under took was that of reducing the native tongue to writing—no easy task. He ar ranged an alphabet to suit the phone tics of the language and, when a suffi ciently large vocabulary had been acquired, a catechism and some primers were translated and printed by the small hand press which the party had brought from Tonga.

Native converts were trained as teachers to help on the good work. The chiefs at first fought shy of the new religion, but they did not openly oppose the missionaries. The inevitable, how

ever, happened and one by one they were brought into the fold. Cannibalism, the strangling of widows, and other bar barous practices slowly faded out, and Fiji became Christianised from end to No account, however short, of the work of the Wesleyan Mission in Fiji would be complete without mention of the name of Thomas Baker, the only Euro pean who became a victim in the struggle against heathenism. This intrepid mis sionary penetrated far into the interior of Viti Levu, in what is now the Nadari vatu district, where he was clubbed and eaten by the mountaineers.

Centenary celebrations were held at Lakeba on October 12, 1935, the prin cipal guest being Queen Salote, of Tonga, who left Sydney a few days before with some four to five hundred members of the Australian Methodist Church to be present at the celebrations.

IN the early part of 1828, King George Tubou I of Tonga, then known as Tau faahau. King of Haapai, urged by the example of his uncle, Josaiah Tubou, King of Tonga Tabu, who had embraced Christianity in 1826, expressed a wish that a missionary might be sent to Haapai. None being at that time avail able, he undertook a voyage from Haapai to Tonga Tabu early in 1829 and begged that one of the missionaries would re turn with him to his kingdom. He was told that none could be spared, but the resident missionaries, the Rev. Nathaniel Turner and William Cross, at Nukualofa,

and the Rev. Mr. Thomas, at Hihifo, proposed that he should take back with him a recently-ordained Tongan teacher.

This, however, he at first peremptorily declined: “No, indeed,” said he, “he shall not go. He is only a Tongan man, and who will say that the people of Haapai will be content to imitate him, or pay heed to his religion? He shall not go.”

And Taufaahau returned in dudgeon to Haapai.

On his voyage, however, a violent storm was encountered, and for two days it was doubtful whether the canoe would ever reach its destination. Then having reached Haapai after great exertions, Taufaahau thought that this storm might have been sent as a punishment for refusing the offer made by the mis sionaries, and soon after he again re turned to Tonga Tabu seeking light, and this time he went to the missionaries and begged that the native teacher they had first designated might return with him.

Peter VI was the honoured man whom the missionaries employed as the very first native herald of Christianity among his own people. He had been their first and most earnest convert, and he it was whom they selected as sufficiently en lightened, even at that early period, to become the elementary instructor In Christian doctrines of Taufaahau him self. It fell to his lot to baptise the first king, who died in 1893 full of years and honours, and Peter VI was himself, when he died, not only the oldest minis ter but probably the oldest man in the Tongan Dominions, his age being set down as 103 years. He died a minister of the Free Church of Tonga, having from the first seceded with the great majority of the Tongan people from the Sydney Wesleyan connection.

The Rev. Mr. Thomas was sent to

Haapai from Tonga Tabu as soon as he could be spared, landing in Lifuka in January. 1830. Soon after his arrival in the latter place, he opened the first church ever erected in Haapai, and it was in connection with the opening of this church that the following amusing in cident occurred, as recorded by the Rev.

Mr. West; WHEN the church was opened, there was, of course, a pulpit in it. Little did the Rev. Mr. Thomas imagine how gravely he was encroaching upon sovereign rights when, in due course, he ascended the steps and took his stand in this elevated position.

King Taufaahau saw the superior elevation of Che minister with dismay. It would never do for a foreigner, even though he might be a missionary, to violate thus publicly the rules of Tongan decorum and etiquette, and so, to meet the difficulty, the King ordered his car penters to prepare him a pulpit of still loftier elevation opposite that of the officiating minister before the next ser vice, in which he might sit and hear the words of God without prejudice to his dignity in the presence of his people.

Great, therefore, was Mr. Thomas’s astonishment when, on the following Sunday, he was confronted by the op position pulpit, from the summit of which he saw His Majesty looking down upon him with a mingled look of drol lery and haughty superiority.

There King Taufaahau continued to sit, Sunday after Sunday, until he felt at last convinced that no intention existed of attempting to lower his authority and dignity, and that a pulpit was a usual and necessary appendage in all buildings devoted to public worship.

He then consented to the removal of the counter-pulpit, and took his seat on a level with the rest of the congregation.