Malo e lelei bloggers! Welcome to this years 2021 Tongan language week To start off, the theme of this weeks Tongan language week is,
"Faka Koloa 'o Aotearoa 'aki 'ae AKO lelei" (Enriching Aotearoa with holistic education).
The key word is AKO educations. The first school for a Tongan child is home of course. In the early child hood of a Tongan child the first class room is called, "KALILOA":
KALI refers for a piece of wood that had been carved and smoothed to a shape of a little stool just high enough to use as a pillow. And that's where the Kaliloa came from. Kaliloa is the arm of your Mother mostly can be your Father and sometimes the Grandparents.
Back in the days, Tongans didn't know how to write, the history was passed from generation to generations by stories, that's why before bed time the child would be laying down onto the Kaliloa (Mum or Dad's arm) and the parent will tell stories about where you come from, your family, your heritage, what runs in the family, what your allowed to do, and what is TAPU, or not allowed to do, and where you go to whe you look for food when your hungry, and where you taking your first fruit to on the harvest time. Normally your mothers family her brothers is your fa'etangata or MotherMan called, uncle there houses are the houses you go to look for food in and the houses of your Mehikitanga your fathers sisters is where you take your fist fruit to. And also they start teaching "The 4 Golden Pillars" Which holds the main principals of the Tongan culture.
a) Faka'apa'apa (Respect). Faka'apa'apa between brothers and sisters. It's a Tapu for brother to go near where the sisters are associated, or socializing, or sleeping area, or sisters to go to where the brothers are associated, or socializing, or sleeping area.
b) Tauhi vaha'a or va (Reciprocation). Women held the highest rank in the Tongan extended family Nofo 'a kainga. The eldest sister of the father or the eldest Mehikitanga (eldest auntie) is known as the Fahu the most repectful rank in the kainga. When the father harvest his first plantations or animals, the first inasi which is the best of his fruit or crops, he will send it to his Mehikitanga or his eldest sister. When the his Mehikitanga or the Mehikitanga of his children received his gift they will prepare some mat or tapa clothes, and send it back to his wife (if he's married or just for him if he's not) as a piece of new clothes, "Pulu'pulu" which is like a cape or a new blanket or clothes, just to show their apretiation of the gift they received.
c) Mamahi'i Me'a/Mateaki'i (Patriotism). As one of the Tongan moto is, "Tonga mo'unga ki he loto"
(The Tongans mountain is their heart) It's a very poor island, mostly people live from their own plantation and from the ocean if the people want to do something for their nobles, or their king, or the church or anything in the community, they will go for extra miles until the job is done with not a single penny being asked for.
d) Loto To (Humble). Tonga knows who there King is, they know who there noble is, they know there Fahu and 'Ulumotu'a he is the eldest man in the kainga 'o famili. When you appear infront of the king or the noble of your village no matter how big your crops are or how successful you are, you still refer to them as a Me'avale, or kainanga 'oe fonua (common person or lower in the society rank). In the funeral the Liongi are the maternal sides or the mothers familiy sides of the death including the children will wear a huge ta'uvala (mat) that will cover them up to their head. And their roles in the funeral is the kitchen to cook food for the people while the paternal side or father's family side of the death which is the Mehikitanga of the dad is the Fahu that will sit right in front of the dead person and the 'Ulumotu'a the eldest brother of the dead bodys father are directing and making decisions for everybody what to do, and he normally coordinate with the children of the father.
The next will be church, majority of the Tongans are Christians. And the Sunday school teachers, the Setuata and the Faifekau, and also your parents at home teach you about your religion, they give you the spiritual teaching like from the bible and your belief, and that's your spiritual teachers.
The next will be school teachers at school give you knowledge, like how to read, write, multiply, how to use technology, and gives you all the knowledge you need for the future.
Now the children are growing up he/she is not sleeping on the kaliloa anymore but the AKO is moving up to Faka loto fale (Fofola efala kae talanoa) Now I would say it's complete the 4 golden pillars, Faka'apa'apa (respect), Tauhi vaha'a (reciprocation), Mamahi'i Me'a (Patriotism), and Loto to (humble). Which underpin my Tongan moto of the Tongan shield "'OTUA MO TONGA KO HOKU TOFI'A"
(GOD AND TONGA ARE MY HERITAGE)
Now the Kaliloa is done the ministers are done, the teachers are doing their best, i'ts for me and for you Tongans to use all the goods that we pick up from the kaliloa, from church, and from school, put them all together and FAKA KOLOA AOTEAROA with it, ENRICH AOTEAROA with it. Stay safe and happy Tongan language week, BLOG YOU LATER!!
