Tongan funerals
Encyclopedia
Funerals in Tonga
(South Pacific), despite the large Christian
influence they have undergone over the last 150 years or so, are still very much a traditional affair and an important part of the culture of Tonga
, especially if it concerns the passing of a high chief or a member of the royal family.
, etc.) the prescribed colour for everybody in mourning. It is to be worn a few days for a far acquaintance, to a few weeks for a far relative, to a year for a close relative. This is irrespective whether a taovala
is worn or not. For those in uniform a black armband is allowed instead.
Appearing in public during this period a taovala (mat tied around the waist) is much recommended, and it should be during that time a mourning taovala. And for sure when attending the funeral itself, it is obligatory. What kind of mat is worn depends on the relationship to the deceased. Close relatives who are "inferior", in kinship terms, or "brother's" side, wear old, coarse, torn mats, sometimes even old floor mats. These are the relatives who do the hard, dirty work of preparing the umu
at the funeral. Relatives on the "sister's side" wear fine mats, often family heirloom mats. Those who are not related at all should wear fine mats that are fakaahu, or smoked over a fire until they are a rich mahogany color.
Over the course mats loose strips of pandanus
may be worn, as whether it is a kiekie
. This is the fakaaveave (meaning: like an asparagus), and also a sign of respect. In the later days of the mourning period the fakaaveave can be worn alone without the bulky taovala.
In the case of the death of a king, everybody is inferior of course, and only the course mats are worn. Some are very huge ones for close relatives.
Closer family will bring huge ngatu
and other traditional gifts, and are supposed to stay for the apō (night vigil). Usually a big tent (some companies are specialised in hiring out such tents) is erected in the garden, and there the people sit the whole night singing religious songs. One night, but in case of a high chief the apō can last a whole week.
Meanwhile men and boys of the family have dug a grave, and the coffin is lowered in there. Nowadays the grave is usually sealed with concrete. After that all leave, although the closest relatives may stay at the grave for the next 10 days.
, but put outside the Tongan ranking system by Sāmoan
ancestry.It is named the Haa Tufunga, and headed by Lauaki; he is the royal undertaker. Only his men (some of them that is, known as the nima tapu (sacred hands)) may touch the dead king.
The Tui Tonga
were buried in the langi (burial mounds), most of them in Lapaha. The current dynasty of kings, the Tui Kanokupolu
are buried at Malae Kula
.
to its closest family members. Such food is always put in baskets, woven from coconut palm
fronds.
It is a tradition in this situation not to carry the baskets in the hands, but from a pole over the shoulders. This is called the haamo (Compare with: Haamonga a Maui
).
During the initial mourning period the mourners (especially the women) are not supposed to do their hair, but let it hang loose unattended. At the end of the 10 days it will be officially cut. In pre-Christian time in addition a part of the little finger (or any other finger if the pink was already consumed on earlier occasions) would be cut off. That many people were missing their pinks was directly noted by Abel Tasman
in 1643. Even as late as 1865 when Tēvita ʻUnga, king George Tupou I's son, the crown prince, was described as "minus 2 fingers, cut off as a tribute to some deceased relatives" (as well as having lost one eye).
This tenth day is known as the pongipongi tapu (sacred morning) and features a taumafa kava (royal kava
ceremony), which is a good time to bestow the chiefly title (if any) of the deceased onto his heir.
The end of the mourning, 100 days later, is marked by the lanu kilikili (washing of the stones), when little black stones (volcanic stones, collected from islands like Tofua
) are rubbed with sweet smelling oil are laid out over the grave. (This was originally done inside the grave to replace the by then rotten away skin of the deceased.) This ends the task of the undertaker.
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
(South Pacific), despite the large Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
influence they have undergone over the last 150 years or so, are still very much a traditional affair and an important part of the culture of Tonga
Culture of Tonga
The Tongan archipelago has been inhabited for perhaps 3000 years, since settlement in late Lapita times. The culture of its inhabitants has surely changed greatly over this long time period. Before the arrival of European explorers in the late 17nd and early 18th centuries, the Tongans were in...
, especially if it concerns the passing of a high chief or a member of the royal family.
Clothing
Christian influence has made black (shirt, trousers, skirt, tupenuTupenu
Tupenu is the Tongan term for a wrapped garment also called a sarong, lungi, or lava-lava, worn through much of South Asia and Oceania. It is analogous to the kilt worn in Scotland....
, etc.) the prescribed colour for everybody in mourning. It is to be worn a few days for a far acquaintance, to a few weeks for a far relative, to a year for a close relative. This is irrespective whether a taovala
Ta'ovala
A taovala is a Tongan dress, a mat wrapped around the waist, worn by men and women, at all formal occasions, much like the tie for men in the European and North American culture...
is worn or not. For those in uniform a black armband is allowed instead.
Appearing in public during this period a taovala (mat tied around the waist) is much recommended, and it should be during that time a mourning taovala. And for sure when attending the funeral itself, it is obligatory. What kind of mat is worn depends on the relationship to the deceased. Close relatives who are "inferior", in kinship terms, or "brother's" side, wear old, coarse, torn mats, sometimes even old floor mats. These are the relatives who do the hard, dirty work of preparing the umu
Earth oven
An earth oven or cooking pit is one of the most simple and long-used cooking structures . At its simplest, an earth oven is simply a pit in the ground used to trap heat and bake, smoke, or steam food...
at the funeral. Relatives on the "sister's side" wear fine mats, often family heirloom mats. Those who are not related at all should wear fine mats that are fakaahu, or smoked over a fire until they are a rich mahogany color.
Over the course mats loose strips of pandanus
Pandanus
Pandanus is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. They are numerous palmlike dioecious trees and shrubs native of the Old World tropics and subtropics. They are classified in the order Pandanales, family Pandanaceae.-Overview:...
may be worn, as whether it is a kiekie
Kiekie (clothing)
A kiekie is a Tongan dress, an ornamental girdle around the waist, mainly worn by women on semiformal occasions, but nowadays also sometimes by men. At highly formal occasions both gender will settle for a taovala...
. This is the fakaaveave (meaning: like an asparagus), and also a sign of respect. In the later days of the mourning period the fakaaveave can be worn alone without the bulky taovala.
In the case of the death of a king, everybody is inferior of course, and only the course mats are worn. Some are very huge ones for close relatives.
Vigil
As soon as the death has occurred all family members will be notified, nowadays often by a radio message and they are supposed to come to the putu (funeral rites), no excuses. For friends or distantly related members it is enough that they come, pay their respect to the dead, bring a small gift for the widow (or whatever the case may be), have their share of food and then leave until the actual burial. The household of the deceased is supposed to provide a meal, or meals if it takes long, to all mourners. In case of a large family this is a huge and expensive operation with big umu, and tons of food.Closer family will bring huge ngatu
Tapa cloth
Tapa cloth is a bark cloth made in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, primarily in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, but as far afield as Niue, Cook Islands, Futuna, Solomon Islands, Java, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Hawaii...
and other traditional gifts, and are supposed to stay for the apō (night vigil). Usually a big tent (some companies are specialised in hiring out such tents) is erected in the garden, and there the people sit the whole night singing religious songs. One night, but in case of a high chief the apō can last a whole week.
Burial itself
The burial itself starts with a church service, the number of reverends/priests, the number of their sermons and therefore the duration of the service is proportional to the rank of the corpse. After that all parade to that cemetery where the family has a piece of ground. A brassband may lead the procession. If it is a high ranking civil servant, it will be the police brassband.Meanwhile men and boys of the family have dug a grave, and the coffin is lowered in there. Nowadays the grave is usually sealed with concrete. After that all leave, although the closest relatives may stay at the grave for the next 10 days.
Death of a king
In traditional Tonga the king was (and still is) so sacred that no one may touch him. There exists a special clan, claimed to descend from a brother (Māliepō) of the first Tongan king'Aho'eitu
In Tongan mythology, or oral history, Ahoeitu is a son of the god Tangaloa Eitumātupua and a mortal woman, Ilaheva Vaepopua. He became the first king of the Tui Tonga dynasty in the early 10th century, dethroning the previous one with the same name but originating from the uanga instead of...
, but put outside the Tongan ranking system by Sāmoan
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
ancestry.It is named the Haa Tufunga, and headed by Lauaki; he is the royal undertaker. Only his men (some of them that is, known as the nima tapu (sacred hands)) may touch the dead king.
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...
were buried in the langi (burial mounds), most of them in Lapaha. The current dynasty of kings, the Tui Kanokupolu
Tu'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...
are buried at Malae Kula
Mala'ekula
Malaekula or Malae Kula is the proper name of the royal burial grounds in central Nukualofa in Kingdom of Tonga in the southern Pacific Ocean. The kings of Tonga and their very close relatives are buried there...
.
Aftermath
In case of an important chief for 10 days after the interment relatives and friends of the deceased bring food from the umuEarth oven
An earth oven or cooking pit is one of the most simple and long-used cooking structures . At its simplest, an earth oven is simply a pit in the ground used to trap heat and bake, smoke, or steam food...
to its closest family members. Such food is always put in baskets, woven from coconut palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
fronds.
It is a tradition in this situation not to carry the baskets in the hands, but from a pole over the shoulders. This is called the haamo (Compare with: Haamonga a Maui
Ha'amonga 'a Maui
Haamonga a Maui - is a stone trilithon located in Tonga, in the north of the island of Tongatapu, near the village of Niutōua, in Heketā....
).
During the initial mourning period the mourners (especially the women) are not supposed to do their hair, but let it hang loose unattended. At the end of the 10 days it will be officially cut. In pre-Christian time in addition a part of the little finger (or any other finger if the pink was already consumed on earlier occasions) would be cut off. That many people were missing their pinks was directly noted by Abel Tasman
Abel Tasman
Abel Janszoon Tasman was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the VOC . His was the first known European expedition to reach the islands of Van Diemen's Land and New Zealand and to sight the Fiji islands...
in 1643. Even as late as 1865 when Tēvita ʻUnga, king George Tupou I's son, the crown prince, was described as "minus 2 fingers, cut off as a tribute to some deceased relatives" (as well as having lost one eye).
This tenth day is known as the pongipongi tapu (sacred morning) and features a taumafa kava (royal kava
Kava culture
Kava cultures are the religious and cultural traditions of western Oceania which consume kava. There are similarities in the use of kava between the different cultures, but each one also has its own traditions.-Hawaii:...
ceremony), which is a good time to bestow the chiefly title (if any) of the deceased onto his heir.
The end of the mourning, 100 days later, is marked by the lanu kilikili (washing of the stones), when little black stones (volcanic stones, collected from islands like Tofua
Tofua
Tofua Caldera, in Tonga, is the summit caldera of a steep-sided composite cone that forms Tofua Island. Tofua Island is in Tonga's Ha'apai island group. Pre-caldera activity is recorded by a sequence of pyroclastic deposits and lavas constituting the older cone, followed on the northern part of the...
) are rubbed with sweet smelling oil are laid out over the grave. (This was originally done inside the grave to replace the by then rotten away skin of the deceased.) This ends the task of the undertaker.
See also
- http://www.matangitonga.to/article/tonganews/royalty/haamo210906.shtml
- http://www.matangitonga.to/article/tonganews/royalty/hair_cutting290906.shtml
- http://www.matangitonga.to/article/tonganews/royalty/mourning_ends161006.shtml