Finau 'Ulukalala
Encyclopedia
Fīnau Ulukālala was a dynasty of 6 important hereditary chiefs from Vavau
(the Tui Vavau), currently in the kingdom of Tonga. Started somewhere in the 18th century, died out in 1960. His original estate was Tuanuku
, and his nickname and that of the village is Tavakefaiana (a species of tropic bird).
(at that time, around 1650, the most powerful royal dynasty of Tongatapu
), his father Tuituiohu was only a younger brother of Maafuotuitonga, the next Tui Kanokupolu. As such Tuituiohu tried his luck in Vavau
, where he started the dynasty of the Haa Ngatatupu.
This first Fīnau died in 1797 in Maufanga, Tongatapu
and is therefore also called Fīnau Ulukālala I i Maofanga (the old form of the name of the village). He was succeeded by his eldest son who would die later in Feletoa, Vavau
, and as such is sometimes known as Fīnau Ulukālala II i Feletoa, or by his second name: Fangupō.
as well, which made him the most powerful chief of whole Tonga at that time. Yet it seems not to have been his intention to take Tongatapu too. It was sufficient for him just to keep the chiefs of that island away from interfering with his Haapai and Vavau. For that he was the main originator of the plan to murder the Tui Kanokupolu. With a triumvirate comprising him, Tupouniua and Tupoutoa the act was done in April 1799 during the yearly inasi (first-fruits offering) to the Tui Tonga
in Mua
.
Unfortunately this did not bring the peace he had hoped for, but started of a civil war in Tonga which would last for the next 50 years or so. Fīnau did not try to conquer Tongatapu, but limited himself to some raids on the island. The most severe one was against Tupoumālohi
in his fortress of Nukualofa
in 1807, in which the cannons he got from the Port-au-prince were very useful. The writings of his protege, William Mariner
, go into deep detail about these happenings and also the personality of this famous warlord.
He was also infamous, however, for the punishment he inflicted on some of his enemies: they were tied to leaking canoes, which were then set adrift at sea, soon to sink with their victims.
Fīnau Fangupō died in 1809 and was succeeded by his son Fīnau Ulukālala Moengangongo who decided to cut all links with the troublesome Tongatapu and ordered that both Haapai and Vavau should pursue an isolation policy. If it had not been for the coming of Tāufaāhau I, perhaps we would have ended up with 3 independent nations. Moengangongo died already 2 years later, what is probably the reason that he has not gone into history as Ulukālala III
where he would die), also named Tuapasi. He was the second son of Fīnau Fangupō and became Tui Vavau (Vavau king) in 1811, although it was not until 1820 before he got all the islands under control. When he died in March 1833 he ceded Vavau to his rearcousin and son in law Tāufaāhau I, as it was clear by then who was the most powerful person in Tonga. It was, after Haapai, the second island group of Tonga Tāufaāhau obtained in his way towards being king of all Tonga. It was therefore still in Vavau, in fact at Pouono, on 20 November 1839 that Tāufaāhau declared himself king of Tonga and ceded it then to the new Christian god.
an chief, Kamisese and was rewarded with the noble title of Ulukālala when Tāufaāhau, by then known as king Siaosi I, proclaimed the constitution in 1875 and abolished all old chiefly titles and subtitles, except for 20, who were elevated to noble status (and another 10 in 1880). From that time on the proper way to refer to these nobles is by their title only with, if needed, an identifying name between parenthesis after it.
. Around 1930 he was interested in marrying Fusipala, the half sister of queen Sālote Tupou. However, Sālote and her consort Tungī Mailefihi
did not see this as a deference of the Vavau noble to the throne, but rather as a plot of him to break away from Tonga and to establish an independent Vavau kingdom. They refused. Fusipala died in 1933, unmarried.
. At the end both were given to the king's youngest son Ahoeitu Unuakiotonga Tukuaho (who already had the title Lavaka from Pea, and so ended up with 3 noble titles).
, Ahoeitu became the heir presumptive and had to give up, backdated to 11 September, the title in favour of his son, Siaosi Manumataongo Alaivahamamao Ahoeitu Konstantin Tukuaho, who was officially installed to it on 30 September 2006.
Vava'u
Vavau is an island chain of one large island and 40 smaller ones in Tonga. According to tradition Maui fished both Tongatapu and Vavau but put a little more effort into the former. Vavau rises 204 meters above sea level...
(the Tui Vavau), currently in the kingdom of Tonga. Started somewhere in the 18th century, died out in 1960. His original estate was Tuanuku
Tu'anuku
Tu'anuku is a village on the western part of Vava'u Tonga with a population of approximately 1052 since Aug 2009. It has several nicknames such as Toa ko Tavake fai'ana, Halapukepuke, Hala siki 'o Mata'aho and also Uini e Ngofe....
, and his nickname and that of the village is Tavakefaiana (a species of tropic bird).
Holders of the title
I (i Maofanga)
Although the first Fīnau (Ulukālala I's grandfather, Mataelehaamea), had been a Tui KanokupoluTu'i Kanokupolu
The Ha'a Tu'i Kanokupolu is the most junior of the Ha'a Tu'i in Tonga. They are generally refer to as the Kau Halalalo The Ha'a Tu'i Tonga, the most senior and Sacred Ha'a Tu'i in Tonga are generally refer to as the Kauhala'uta, The inland side of the roads...
(at that time, around 1650, the most powerful royal dynasty of Tongatapu
Tongatapu
Tongatapu is the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga and the location of its capital Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with approximately 71,260 residents , 70.5% of the national population...
), his father Tuituiohu was only a younger brother of Maafuotuitonga, the next Tui Kanokupolu. As such Tuituiohu tried his luck in Vavau
Vava'u
Vavau is an island chain of one large island and 40 smaller ones in Tonga. According to tradition Maui fished both Tongatapu and Vavau but put a little more effort into the former. Vavau rises 204 meters above sea level...
, where he started the dynasty of the Haa Ngatatupu.
This first Fīnau died in 1797 in Maufanga, Tongatapu
Tongatapu
Tongatapu is the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga and the location of its capital Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with approximately 71,260 residents , 70.5% of the national population...
and is therefore also called Fīnau Ulukālala I i Maofanga (the old form of the name of the village). He was succeeded by his eldest son who would die later in Feletoa, Vavau
Vava'u
Vavau is an island chain of one large island and 40 smaller ones in Tonga. According to tradition Maui fished both Tongatapu and Vavau but put a little more effort into the former. Vavau rises 204 meters above sea level...
, and as such is sometimes known as Fīnau Ulukālala II i Feletoa, or by his second name: Fangupō.
Fangupō
At the end of the 18th century, due to the impopularity of the then incumbent Tui Kanokupolu, Tukuaho, who was a cruel and arbitrary person, Fīnau Fangupō (Ulukālala II) was able to extend his authority to HaapaiHa'apai
Haapai is a group of islands, islets, reefs and shoals in the central part of the Kingdom of Tonga, with the Tongatapu group to the south and the Vavau group to the north. Seventeen of the Haapai islands are populated....
as well, which made him the most powerful chief of whole Tonga at that time. Yet it seems not to have been his intention to take Tongatapu too. It was sufficient for him just to keep the chiefs of that island away from interfering with his Haapai and Vavau. For that he was the main originator of the plan to murder the Tui Kanokupolu. With a triumvirate comprising him, Tupouniua and Tupoutoa the act was done in April 1799 during the yearly inasi (first-fruits offering) to the Tui Tonga
Tu'i Tonga
The Tui Tonga is a line of Tongan kings, which originated in the 10th century with the mythical Ahoeitu; withdrew from political power in the 15th century by yielding to the Tui Haatakalaua; and died out with Laufilitonga in 1865...
in Mua
Mu'a (Tongatapu)
Mua is a small city in the Hahake district on the island of Tongatapu, and it was for centuries the ancient capital of Tonga. It is divided in the villages Lapaha and Tatakamotonga, is close to Talasiu and famous for the ancient langi .-Geography:Mua is situated along the eastern side of the...
.
Unfortunately this did not bring the peace he had hoped for, but started of a civil war in Tonga which would last for the next 50 years or so. Fīnau did not try to conquer Tongatapu, but limited himself to some raids on the island. The most severe one was against Tupoumālohi
Tupou Malohi
Tupoumālohi was the 16th Tui Kanokupolu of Tonga from the death of his uncle Maafuolimuloa, the 15th Tui Kanokupolu on 22 April 1799, until his own death in 1812.According to:...
in his fortress of Nukualofa
Nukuʻalofa
Nukualofa is the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the southern most island group of Tonga.-Mythological origins:...
in 1807, in which the cannons he got from the Port-au-prince were very useful. The writings of his protege, William Mariner
William Mariner (writer)
William Mariner was an Englishman who lived in the Tonga Islands from 29 November 1806 to 8 November 1810. He wrote an account of his experiences, Tonga Islands, that is now one of the major sources of information on pre-Christian Tonga.-Mariner's sojourn in Tonga:William Mariner was a teenage...
, go into deep detail about these happenings and also the personality of this famous warlord.
He was also infamous, however, for the punishment he inflicted on some of his enemies: they were tied to leaking canoes, which were then set adrift at sea, soon to sink with their victims.
Fīnau Fangupō died in 1809 and was succeeded by his son Fīnau Ulukālala Moengangongo who decided to cut all links with the troublesome Tongatapu and ordered that both Haapai and Vavau should pursue an isolation policy. If it had not been for the coming of Tāufaāhau I, perhaps we would have ended up with 3 independent nations. Moengangongo died already 2 years later, what is probably the reason that he has not gone into history as Ulukālala III
Tuapasi
Fīnau Ulukālala III, best known in history as Fīnau Ulukālala III i Pouono (the part of NeiafuNeiafu (Vava'u)
Neiafu is the second-largest town in Tonga with a population of about 6,000. It is situated beside the Port of Refuge, a deep-water harbour on the south coast of Vava'u, the main island of the Vava'u archipelago in northern Tonga. To the north-west lies the 131m high Mt...
where he would die), also named Tuapasi. He was the second son of Fīnau Fangupō and became Tui Vavau (Vavau king) in 1811, although it was not until 1820 before he got all the islands under control. When he died in March 1833 he ceded Vavau to his rearcousin and son in law Tāufaāhau I, as it was clear by then who was the most powerful person in Tonga. It was, after Haapai, the second island group of Tonga Tāufaāhau obtained in his way towards being king of all Tonga. It was therefore still in Vavau, in fact at Pouono, on 20 November 1839 that Tāufaāhau declared himself king of Tonga and ceded it then to the new Christian god.
Matekitonga
Tupou Toutai Nafetalai Matekitonga was the name of Fīnau Ulukālala IV, the only son of his father, born in the same year (1833) that the latter died. He grew up to be a vassal to Tāufaāhau, fought, for example, in 1853 with him and Cakobau against another FijiFiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
an chief, Kamisese and was rewarded with the noble title of Ulukālala when Tāufaāhau, by then known as king Siaosi I, proclaimed the constitution in 1875 and abolished all old chiefly titles and subtitles, except for 20, who were elevated to noble status (and another 10 in 1880). From that time on the proper way to refer to these nobles is by their title only with, if needed, an identifying name between parenthesis after it.
Mīsini
His son Siaosi Fīnau Mīsini succeeded him on his death in 1877 as Fīnau Ulukālala V (Mīsini), and he fulfilled positions like governor of Vavau, several ministerial posts in the young Tongan government and was even regent. He died in 1938.Haamea
The last of the dynasty was Siaosi Tangata-o-Haamea who became Ulukālala VI (Haamea). As his mother's line died out without successors, he also was installed, later, with the noble title of Ata, from KolovaiKolovai
Kolovai is a village on the Tongan island of Tongatapu. Its 2006 population was 4,098.The village is notable for its lakalaka, the national dance of Tonga. A national monument has been proposed to preserve the site of the koka tree where members of the Tu'i Kanokupolu dynasty received investiture....
. Around 1930 he was interested in marrying Fusipala, the half sister of queen Sālote Tupou. However, Sālote and her consort Tungī Mailefihi
Viliami Tungi Mailefihi
Viliami Tungī Mailefihi was a Tongan chief and consort of Queen Sālote Tupou III.He was the son of Tukuaho who was the son of Tungī Halatuituia. The line of Tungī chiefs from Tatakamotonga was descending from the then defunct Tui Haatakalaua which in that time was more or less seen as an...
did not see this as a deference of the Vavau noble to the throne, but rather as a plot of him to break away from Tonga and to establish an independent Vavau kingdom. They refused. Fusipala died in 1933, unmarried.
Ahoeitu
Siaosi died on 12 September 1960 without a son. The title Ulukālala, and Ata as well, were then taken away from Vavau by king Tāufaāhau Tupou IVTaufa'ahau Tupou IV
Tāufaāhau Tupou IV, King of Tonga, GCMG, GCVO, KBE, KStJ son of Queen Sālote Tupou III and her consort Prince Viliami Tungī Mailefihi, was the king of Tonga from the death of his mother in 1965 until his own death in 2006...
. At the end both were given to the king's youngest son Ahoeitu Unuakiotonga Tukuaho (who already had the title Lavaka from Pea, and so ended up with 3 noble titles).
Siaosi Manumataongo
After the death of king Tāufaāhau Tupou IV and the accession of Siaosi Tupou VGeorge Tupou V
George Tupou V , is the current King of Tonga.-Early life:...
, Ahoeitu became the heir presumptive and had to give up, backdated to 11 September, the title in favour of his son, Siaosi Manumataongo Alaivahamamao Ahoeitu Konstantin Tukuaho, who was officially installed to it on 30 September 2006.