(Introductory Note)

By Futa Helu

The greatest king of ancient Tonga was Lo’au, the Great, nicknamed Tu’itatui. His political, social and cultural re forms were overwhelming and indeed Tongan culture is the fruit of his achievements. His death took place in the land of his maternal grandparents, the neighbouring rugged island of 'Eua. His maternal relations wanted to bury the King’s body in ’Eua; his sons—princes Talatama and Talai’ha’apepe—wanted to bring his body to Tongatapu, but the crafty Fasi’apule the master mind of the age and elder half-brother to the King managed, by hook and by crook, to steal the King’s body and brought it to his own village, Malapo, where he buried him and also built hundreds of hills as concealment of the true burial mount. To this day the secret still holds its doors locked. Historians and archae ologists are only dimly aware of this enigma, but its significance for Tonga’s prehistory is unparalleled.

"A hundred mounts were terraced. . .