A Resident of Tonga

Answers Mr. Pawson

Letter to the Editor pvVER the past few years, there have been numerous cases of disgruntled Europeans who, for one reason or another, found it desirable to give publicity to ;heir distaste for Tonga. The latest, that »f K. Pawson, published in the October, L 953, issue of PIM, is milder in tone than tome of the former outbursts, but it is such a web of half truths and general 11 nature that I would like to nut on "ecord my own reaction to Tonga.

He outlaws the opinions of people who lave been in Tonga only 20 days and, m the other hand, those of people who iave been here for 30 years. I am just ;ompleting my fifth year here; so per taps he would grant me leave to speak.

I, like Mr. Pawson also, tried to find >ut about Tonga before I came here. [ read the best books I could find— Hariner’s “Tonga”, Basil Thomson’s ‘Diversions of a Prime Minister”, and he Bishop Museum Collections of Tongan nyths and Tongan poetry. From them I gained a picture of a kindly, poetic >eople whose pride in their own country sprang from no shallow arrogant feeling, >ut from a deep love of their beautiful stand home and from a very real sense >f the value and dignity of human life n general. Five years of living and tvorking among the Tongans has not iltered the picture.

Mr. Pawson stoops to the folly of Titicising the physical features of Conga. Tongatapu whose “dismal, nonotonous” appearance he so deplores s pretty much like hundreds of other iat Pacific islands—the simple fact is hat one either likes the islands or one loes not. If one does not, the best thing o do is to get as far away from them is possible and stay away. In the usual »etty way of the disgruntled, Mr. Pawson •emarks that Vava’u harbour is not so Impressive “as people who have seen ittle else will have you imagine”. I rave seen a good number of the world’s jorts and I was born in a city whose larbour in generally admitted to be one >f the world’s most beautiful San Francisco. But I know no sight more vonderful than sunset on Vava’u harbour —and there are plenty of others who igree with me.

But my quarrel with Mr. Pawson and >thers like him is not so much because

of his unfortunate inability to appreciate scenery, but because of his complete unawareness of the Tongan people.

He speaks of the thieving ways of the Tongans. I have lived in both British and American countries and it has always been essential in both to keep my house securely locked. For over four years my husband and I have been the only white residents of the Vava’a village of ’Utulei. During that time, we have rarely locked our door. We have lost nothing.

He speaks of “inquisitive and cheeky” children. I believe that a child who is not inquisitive is stupid. During my first year in Tonga, I taught in a school for Tongan girls. I was constantly amazed by their politeness and quiet, gentle behaviour.

Like children everywhere, they are

capable of being: naughty, but their basic manners are far above the average found in children in Anglo-Saxon countries to day. It is true that, when we have strangers visit us, our fence is lined with village children peering in to have a look at them. Fortunately, most of our guests realise that THEY are novelties and that the children are doing no more than satisfy a very justifiable curiosity.

For the few who can’t face children’s eyes, the solution is simple: I ask the children to go away and they do so without the slightest bit of protest. Mr.

Pawson singles out the children of Neiafu and those of Nuku’alofa as being particularly offensive. Both these towns are ports and both are like border-towns in being full of half castes. There are some children there whose parents neglect them and let them run uncared

for throughout the streets; but, has Mr.

Pawson ever seen the children around Circular Quay in Sydney, the young ones of Hell’s Kitchen in New York, or the street children of Manila?

Mr. Pawson says that “judged by European standards they (Tongans) often appear to be lazy.” The remark exposes one of the most frequent follies of white critics of Tonga. They imagine that European standards are the only basis for judging any people; whereas if people are to be judged at all, they must be judged within the limits of their own culture.

The majority of the Tongans are well fed. For them to be so, the men have to clear tropical bush and plant and care for their gardens. When their crops are ready they must be harvested—and any one who has ever seen a Tongan yam or taro knows that a thoroughly lazy man could never get up enough energy to dig one up, much less carry it home and prepare it for eating.

Tongan women spend whole days on the reef searching for shell-fish to add needed vitamins to their family diet.

Other days they spend at the back breaking jobs of beating out paper mulberry bark to make tapa, or weaving pandanus leaves into mats. If a passing white-man catches them napping under a coconut, need he conclude that they are story book islanders waiting for their dinners to drop from heaven into their mouths?

'T'ONGA, like other parts of Polynesia, is in a state of transition to-day.

The old caste system is crumbling and a new way of life is evolving. v At present the country has, as Mr.

Pawson quite accurately said, a parlia mentary system, yet it retains a semi feudal set-up. No one can deny that some of the nobles who, with the crown, are the only owners of land (all other people —Europeans and commoners among the Tongans—have their land on leasehold only) abuse the power that is theirs: Some of them may remember their privileges and forget their duties.

It is likewise true that many oppor tunities in life are open to young nobles only. It is a great temptation for people who come from any of the modem democracies to pick flaws in Tongan government and social life. It is well to remember, however, that a trained anthropologist. Dr. Felix Keesing, of Stanford University, points out that cultural change is, and must be, a gradual thing. To force the people of one culture to adopt the way of another culture is to destroy them.

Queen Salote has often said that she hopes her people will preserve the best features of their old Tongan life and add to them the best of European life.

As I see it, the place of a white man in Tonga, is to help his Tongan neighbours and friends to know the best of European ways, to give what help and technical advice he can, and then to leave to the Tongans themselves the

final choice of adopting or rejecting what they will.

Mr. Pawson finds the over-emphasis on religion in Tonga “annoying,” and labels the extent of Sunday observance practised here "ridiculous.”

The majority of white islanders agree with him. However, insomuch as the religious life of Tonga is, in the main, dominated by a small group of Australfan Wesleyan missionaries who keep a tight hold on the purse and the power of the church, any criticism of Tongan religion must be a criticism of the missionaries.

Since it is not against white men, but only against the brown that Mr. Pawson speaks, this is not the place to enter into discussion of the missions. (OVER)

As to the Tongans themselves, in religion, as in other matters, they are much like other men. Some are sincere, some are not. Some of the most ardent churchgoers lead the most dissolute lives.

Mr. Pawson is distressed over the fact that religion in Tonga has become com petitive and mourns because “many Tongans will often reduce themselves to near-poverty to give a little more than their neighbours.”

It is quite true; but is the Tongan (who “gives his money to God” as many Tongans express their church con tributions) more to be blamed than the Anglo-Saxon who risks his financial security for the purely worldly joy of keeping up with the Joneses?

Mr. Pawson says condescendingly that “some of the boys” who worked for him could have held their own with the best anywhere. Grown Tongans resent being called “boys” and they resent the in ference that the white man is always their superior. And why shouldn’t they?

Scientists have disproved the white theory that intelligence rose as skin tone lightened. IQ’s high and low are sprinkled pretty evenly through all the races of mankind. In Tonga, as else where, there are brilliant people and there are stupid ones.

Thus far, Tongans have entered few fields of European endeavour, but it is interesting to note that in the field of medicine, which is one career open to any Tongan boy, rich or poor, noble or commoner, if he has the necessary mental

qualifications, they have shown them selves exceptionally capable. The Tongan Medical Practitioners (who attend Suva’s Central Medical School) are the most highly educated group of Tongan men to-day.

My husband and I have given our daughter a Tongan name. It is our hope that she will grow into a woman as loyal, as honest, as intelligent, and as loving as the Tongan friend whose name she bears. Our friend is a fine and exceptional woman. We are grateful for

her friendship and for that of many other fine Tongan men and women.

I am, etc.,

Patricia Matheson.

Vava’u, Tonga.

November 29, 1933. fl Miss Leila Bade, senior woman lecturer at Nasinu Training Col lege, Fiji, for the past six years, was farewelled in December by friends on her departure from the Colony for New Zealand.