Jenn Lamoreaux
U.S Music and Culture
Semester Term Paper
Tongan Culture
Sisilia Maumau-Morey was born in Kanokupolu, Nuku’alofa, Tonga May 19, 1970.
When she was five years old, her parents decided they wanted a better life for their family and
moved to Hawaii. They were looking for better job opportunities and they wanted to be closer to
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Religion is big among their culture. When
Sisilia was seven, they moved to Salt Lake City, Utah.
She remembers living in Tonga, but because most of her life was spent here in the United
States, many of their traditions are starting to dwindle. Family and religion are still important..
The family is male dominated where the father is the patriarch. The men will earn the income
while the women stay home and take care of the children, cook and clean. The oldest son has the
birthright. For example, Sisilia’s parents have land in Tonga. When they pass away, that land
will go to the oldest son, Mark. Even though Sisilia is the oldest out of 7 children, she will not
inherit the land.
Some of the special occasions that are still important to the Tongan culture are: the birth
of a child and then its first birthday, a baptism when they are eight years old, when someone
turns 21 years old (becoming an adult), marriage and funerals. Food is extremely important to
these events. They will always have some sort of meat roasting, potato, fruits and salads. No
matter the festivities, there will always be food and plenty of it.
In former times, there was only one main meal. It was cooked in an earth oven (a pit in
the ground that traps the heat and was used to bake or steam food) and served at midday. The
diet consisted mainly of seafood and fruits. Pigs were killed and eaten only on special occasions
like weddings, funerals or visits from the village chief. Today, Tongans usually don’t cook in an
earth oven. Most daily cooking is done by the women. They cook in battered pots over an open
fires in the village, wood burning stoves or if they live in larger cities, a gas or electrical stove.
They also do a more westernized meal setting, breakfast, lunch and a heavier dinner. It is hard
for most people to do just one main meal because many have jobs or attend schools that are too
far from home.
More and more traditions are becoming westernized on the Tongan island and for those
here in the United States. One of the special occasions in the Tongan culture that Sisilia and her
family does not follow is when a person gets married. This is a special time in someone’s life in
the Tongan culture. They give the couple a blanket and sheets. When the wedding night is over,
they are to hand over the sheets to the patriarch of the family. On the sheets is supposed to show
the blood, as a sign of purity. My brother refused to do this when he married Sisilia. She was also
good with the idea of not doing that tradition. She is not the only one in the family to let go of
this tradition. It is one that is going away.
There were steps to take before getting married, according to Tongan tradition. First, man
and woman meet and become acquainted with one another. The man will ask for an honest
friendship and that is where the relationship begins. Second, they start to date one another. The
man will always go to the woman’s house and ask permission to date her. This stage is important
because it builds up the relationship not only with her but her parents. Third, they ask permission
to get married. The man will ask permission to marry from the dad or uncle, which is known as
the 'Ulumotu'a’, the head of the extended family. If the proposal is accepted, they can start to
look at a date. Fourth, all the family will celebrate the night before the wedding. There is food
and dancing, this celebration is known as Fakalelea. Finally, it is the big wedding day. Both the
bride and groom will wear a special Tongan ta'ovala (a mat that is wrapped around your waist.)
The man will come to her place and lead her to where they are to be married. They will sign and
make an oath to each other.
For the most part, Sisilia’s family still follows these steps. However, it is beginning to
become more Americanized. Most of her family will still ask for permission. My brother asked
her uncle for permission. He felt it was only right to do so. He is hoping that his daughter’s
future husband will come to him and ask him. For his son’s, he expects them to go to their future
wife’s family. It is not just about being Tongan that he wants them to ask permission, he feels it
is out of respect for the family.
Religion is important to the Tongan culture. The dominating religion is Christianity,
Catholic and Mormon. Under the Tongan constitution it states:
All Men are free to practice their religion and to worship God as they may deem fit in
accordance with the dictates of their own worship consciences and to assemble for
religious service in such places as they may appoint…The Sabbath Day shall be kept holy
in Tonga and no person shall practice his trade or profession or conduct any commercial
undertaking on the Sabbath Day except according to law; and any agreement made or
witnessed on that day shall be null and void and of no legal effect. (Tongan Constitution)
Even today, many try to keep the Sabbath day holy. Here in the United States, it can be hard to
remember to keep it holy, no matter what your religion. People have to work and support a
family. However, many still practice the day of Sabbath and go to church in their Sunday best.
Dance has been a part of religious ceremonies for centuries. “Tongan dance is incredibly
complex, and highly spiritual. When preforming a dance, Tongans experience something called
Mafana, which is "a state of pure spiritual exhilaration". Dance without Mafana is considered
lifeless, and unappealing to a Tongan audience. Ancient dance routines are still demonstrated
today, and Tongan dancing has been set to scripture and is preformed along with poetry in
church. The poems and dances serve to tell religious stories such as the exodus, or the story of
the Virgin Mary.”
Before the introduction of Christianity, the people believed there was a powerful spiritual
world that dictated their actions. “One central aspect of the ancient Tongan belief system was the
idea that there was an unseen world known as Pulotu. Pulotu was essentially the Tongan version
of heaven, and was believed to be the home of all gods and goddesses.” Pulotu is no longer their
belief.
Another belief of ancient Tonga was the belief of vaiola. Vaiola was a magical water that
could heal any form of sickness or could mend any wound. It has remained as part of the
religious ceremony however, the meaning has lost its way. Now when they mention vaiola, they
are referring to Jesus Christ.
Funerals are also important to the Tongan culture. The influence of Christianity on the
Tongan culture is seen with the mourners wearing black clothing during the time of mourning.
The time period of the mourners depends on the how close they were to the deceased. An
acquaintance could only be a few days while a close relative could be a few months to a year.
Village funerals are a part of life and can be confusing to us palangi (white man.)
There are usually two stages of the funeral. The first stage is the home prayer and the
village morning stage with a feast. The second is the burial itself. There are specific ta’ovalas
that have to be worn depending on your rank in the family. In Tonga, the father’s sister is the
highest ranking. She will wear the biggest mat. Tongans don’t approach a funeral the same as
people in the United States. They believe God takes them when it is their time and you don’t
question the Almighty.
The Tongan people love music. Tongan string bands are made up of guitar, violin, banjo,
bass and a ukulele. It is becoming more modernized but you are still able to hear these bands at
hotels, private parties or even local faikava. Faikava is where the men will get together and drink
kava and sing together to entertain themselves. Most of their music is reggae based. Along with
the music, many people will dance. Traditionally, those dances are stories and they are told with
moving their hands and feet but not the hips. The women will dance with grace while the men
are more vigor.
They have several different kinds of dances. One is called lakalaka. This is a standing
dance that begins slow but speeds up. The men and women will stand opposite of each other.
This dance can involve hundreds of people and last up to an hour. Another dance that is a little
different is called tau’olunga. This is when a girl will dance alone and her knees are tight
together. This is performed at weddings or any village function. These dances are still being
performed here in the United States, just not as often.
Most traditions are still being kept by the Tongan culture here in the United States. Many
celebrations still happen and big parties will be thrown. There will be many family members that
will bring food, dance and talk the night away. Family and religion are still important to their
culture. Although some traditions are not what they used to be, they still try to keep close to their
culture.
Works cited
Tongan Constitution. 2015. Web 25 March, 2015
Religion in Tonga Today. Tongan Island Info. 2015. Web 25 March, 2015