Friendly Islands: A history of Tonga

Tonga is one of the few remaining kingdoms in the world and surely is the smallest. It is, moreover, the only Polynesian society that has maintained its political independence unbroken, and its cultural heritage largely intact. Much has been written about Tonga in the two centuries since it was first visited by man, but most of the writing has been in the form of travellers' tales or, more recently. anthropological treatises. With the exception of two small works written for Tongan schoolchildren about half a century ago, no attempt has been made to collate a systematic and scholarly history of this island group and its unique people. This book fills that gap. It combines the work of fourteen scholars, each of whom is an expert in his field, and four of whom are Tongans. The work begins with the myths which Tongans tell about the origins of their land and people. The early history of the group is investigated through modern archaeological techniques and a recounting of ancient legends. Accounts are given of the coming of the western navigators, the arrival of the beachcombers and evangelization of the islands by Christian missionaries. The establishment of the Tongan Kingdom, the setting up of its constitution, the problems besetting the tiny State in the age of aggressive imperialism and the reign of the revered Queen Slote are all dealt with. The book ends with an assessment of the problems of contemporary Tonga from the viewpoints of an anthropologist and an economist.