WORDS FROM THE WEBMASTER & THE THSESWS NEWSLETTER EDITOR:

Welcome to the THSESWS monthly newsletter for the month of January 2001. We must apologise for the delay in the publication of this month's newsletter, things were a bit hectic and we did not have time to file our news. However, this is what we have managed to gather for you all. In terms of news, we do not have much for you apart from bits and pieces that we have collected within the last few weeks. Featuring in this newsletter is a short account by Loseli in regards to his visit to Auckland, an article by our political writer/analyst; Dr Robert Wolfgramm and a couple of news from Tonga.

For the past years since we went online, we have gathered all information by ourselves for our newsletters and we would like to encourage you all to help out. We can only do so much. Please note that this web site is for all of us. Your help in getting any news or writing articles for our monthly newsletters will be very much appreciated.

Faka'apa'apa atu

Loseli M Hafoka & 'Amelia Piutau

NEWS FROM TONGA(Relayed by 'Ana Palu):

This section shows an interesting rearrangement of positions in the Kingdom of Tonga. As of January 2001, the Minister of Finance will move to Education and he will be replaced by the Governor of the Reserve Bank; Siosiua 'Utoikamanu. Hon Fielakepa will be the new Minister of Lands and Hon Tu'i'afitu retires. Hon Malupo is the new Governor of Ha'apai, 'Eleni 'Aho returns to Police and Hon Ma'afu becomes the new Private Secretary to His Royal Highness, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV.

NEWS FROM THSESA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE(Siaosi Sovaleni):

Siaosi Sovaleni informed us that the executive committee in Tonga has finally endorsed the THSESWS as the official web site for all Tonga High School Ex-students. The executive committee has decided to publish a regular newsletter for all ex-students in Tonga and abroad. The THSESA newsletter has been called "TEFUA 'A VAKA LAUTALA". The first online edition was to appear here in our monthly newsletter but due to technical problems, the first edition of "Tefua 'A Vaka Lautala" did not get here on time for publication and therefore it will feature in next month's newsletter. There are also changes to office bearers within the executive committee but the THSESWS hasn't received the details.

Siaosi Sovaleni attended a meeting in Hawaii recently and therefore could not get in touch with Loseli while he was in New Zealand and hence the problem in getting the first edition of "Tefua 'A Vaka Lautala" to be published here. More news - regarding the executive committee will appear in next month's newsletter.

It is hoped that by publishing the "Tefua 'A Vaka Lautala" online will help in bringing all chapters together. The THSESWS sees Tefua 'A Vaka Lautala as the main medium and the source of information from the Friendly Isles. Let's hope that this is a step forward in our communication with our fellow ex-students in the Kingdom of Tonga.

AUCKLAND, A CITY LOVED BY MANY TONGANS!

Short account of Loseli's visit to New Zealand.

I would like to start by giving you a few facts about the Tongans in Auckland. According to the latest statistics from the New Zealand Statistics in regards to immigrants, Tonga has been the fastest growing ethnic group in New Zealand. It is this very fact that Dr Manu'atu, Dr 'Okusi Mahina, other Tongan educators and all Leaders of Tongan communities would use to make the New Zealand government recognises that the needs of our people must be given greater recognition in line with that of the Maori people. Tongans have significantly contributed to the dynamic Economy of New Zealand. Educational help would be the first priority followed by health and other issues regarding our people in New Zealand and in particular; Auckland, which hosts more than 85 % of all Tongans in New Zealand. Tongan secondary teachers (teaching in Auckland) are doing their best to help our Tongan communities in Auckland to get the Tongan youths to do well academically.

Education for our youths in New Zealand was one of the most important issues I wanted to discuss with some of our ex-students. I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with Dr Linita Manu'atu. Linita and I talked a lot about education in regards to Tongan students. Dr Manu'atu gave me a lot of insights into how our Tongan students perform at secondary level. It was fascinating to hear from Dr Manu'atu who has spent more than 5 years teaching at secondary level.

Upon arrival in Auckland, the weather was beautiful and the fresh breezes of the Pacific ocean emanating from the surrounding waters of the Auckland, Manukau and Onehunga harbours were something I have not experienced for more than 10 years. Fresh air - is what I would describe that of the land of the "Long White Cloud". No wonder that during his recent tour of New Zealand, President Bill Clinton remarked on the "freshness of the New Zealand air". The president also said, "I would not mind living in New Zealand after retiring from office". Before landing on the Auckland tarmac, one obvious observation that struck me was the green landscape. This was totally different from that of Melbourne which we have seen just three and a half hours before. Melbourne was dry and from an altitude of more than a thousand feet, the total landscape looked brown apart from patches of green on mountain tops right throughout the whole arial contour of the state of Victoria.

Auckland is a very interesting place to visit, the diversity of its people(a very prominent polynesian component), the hilly landscape, the lack of cordial (my favourite Australian soft drink), the smaller size-beer cans(300ml), the new cars (Asian imports),the pretty but a rather small city of Auckland, the view from Mt. Eden including that of One Tree Hill, the amazing view of Auckland from the Sky Tower, the clean and beautiful beach of Mission Bay and the unforgettable atmosphere of Waiwera Thermal Resort are just some of the things that would always remind me of this beautiful city. I last visited Auckland 10 years ago and I can tell you that things have changed dramatically since then. I had to continually remind myself that this was Auckland and not Tonga. One would forgive me for getting confused at times for there are so many Tongans in Auckland. Going to the shopping centres in Mangere and Otara is like shopping in Nuku'alofa except for the size of the shopping complexes. I often wondered whether this is a trend that will continue. The mass exodus of our people to New Zealand is quite frightening. Will there be any Tongans left in Tonga in 15 to 20 years time? Who knows!

It was a pleasure to meet some of the ex-students in Auckland during my short visit. A few rang me and had a chat which was a real treat for me. Two ex-students were very helpful, they were Dr Linita Manu'atu and Barrister, 'Amelia Schaaf. These two took me out so many times and I had a great time indeed. Dr Manu'atu was a former high school teacher at Mt Roskill High School and it was very interesting to talk to her in regards to education of our Tongan children in Auckland. Dr Manu'atu and some of the Tongan educators in Auckland are doing their best to help. 'Amelia Schaaf is now running her own law practice in Auckland. She is based in Onehunga with her office in the Onehunga Mall. Both 'Amelia and Linita went to Auckland University and they have told me some of the great times they had at Auckland University together with some students from Tonga High and other schools.

It was also an honour for me to catch up with Joel Ngongo Tameifuna, a pumkin farmer/exporter in Tonga. Joel was in Auckland to attend a meeting with the financial backers of their company. As Joel said, "what does a Tonga High School Ex-student do when he is frustrated with other companies? - he starts up his own company". Well done Joel and good luck with your new company. I was also fortunate enough to catch up with Lorna Ikahihifo who was also a former classmate. Lorna is now planning to go back to University after taking a break to start a family. She now has three beautiful children. Sione Vaka and 'Ana Palu also rang and it was great to talk to them.

Linita Manu'atu and 'Amelia Schaaf together with Tisiola (Sofele Kakala's daughter) are running a weekly program using one of the radio stations in Auckland. This program is for the "Tongan Women Association of Auckland" and it covers all matters of interest to Tongan Women and others featuring current news, messages (birthdays, job advertising, etc) and interviewing guests. I was very fortunate to be invited for an interview during one of their weekly schedules. The interview covered our web site and education in general. This was a great experience and I would hope that more of this type of interviews will feature on this excellent radio program. This is a great way of reaching out to parents and every member of the Tonga community in Auckland.

Linita Manu'atu also took me on a tour of Auckland University and it was very interesting indeed. Auckland University complex is quite a place, I kept wondering what it would be like to study there for I did not have the chance to be one of its students. We also visited the former Government House where Queen Salote was kept during her death. Linita has just finished her doctoral thesis and in the coming newsletters, I will be using excerpts from her thesis. Dr. Manu'atu is a fascinating character to talk to and her theories and ideas regarding education is something that one can learn from.

It was also a pleasure to see a Tongan Medical Centre in Auckland in which most of its doctors are Tonga High School Ex-students. This centre caters for the health of the Auckland Tongan community. This is something that I am so proud of, it is always a pleasure to see Tongans overseas doing something to advance and enhance the life style of our people.

I must take this opportunity to thank all those in Auckland for your hospitality during my time there. Special thanks must go to Linita and 'Amelia for everything, including the wonderful "sight seeing" and a great night out at the Auckland Casino after a fantastic dinner at their favourite Chinese Restaurant. Thank you so much.

Faka'apa'apa atu
Loseli Ma'ukie Hafoka

ARTICLE BY DR. ROBERT WOLFGRAMM:

We have always been intrigued by the theories of Polynesian migration. The Kontiki Expedition and the Lapita Pottery theory have somewhat outlined where, we the polynesian came from. As a result, Dr. Robert Wolfgramm was asked by THSESWS to write a short article summarising the evolution and migration of the people of the Pacific featuring the Polynesians and the Melanesians. Robert, despite his busy schedule with his job and writing articles for the Melbourne Age - kindly accepted the task and wrote us the article published below. Thank you Robert!

SOME NOTES AND LESSONS FROM THE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF PACIFIC PEOPLES

Dr Robert Wolfgramm

Monash University

The first "male genital" found on any living thing is about two and half million years old and the original 'garden of Eden', where mankind began, was in Africa. 'Eve', the first mother of mankind was pre-African. The migration of her descendants into Asia and the Pacific was one of the first great feats of human history.

From Asia to the Pacific

The original Pacific islanders got here because they were the world's first long-distance mariners. Between thirty and sixty thousand years ago, 'Meganesians' (forerunners of the Melanesians) began plying the Pacific Ocean in their log dugouts. They were a brown-skinned people. They were pushed into the Pacific because of a population explosion on the Asian steppes. This had the effect of 'yellow' peoples of Mongolia coming down into the south-east Asian area. The arrival of these peoples to the edge of the Pacific pushed another group, the black-skinned 'Banda' people who were indigenous to south-east Asia, further east. Out of intercourse between the Banda and the Mongoloids, came the Meganesians. From the Meganesians came 'Austronesians' who gave rise to three main groups: (I) the 'Australasians' who migrated south toward a pre-Australian landmass ('Tasmantis' so-called); (II) the 'Melanesians'; and (III) the fairer, 'Lapita' pre-Polynesians.

One particularly important migration into the Pacific occurred about three thousand years ago. Around the time Moses was leading his Hebrew people out of Egypt toward Canaan, a Pacific 'Moses' was leading his 'Lapita' people into the south-central Pacific. This 'Moses' was a Melanesian fisherman, and his 'chosen people', the Lapita, were predominantly Polynesian women. (We know this from mitochondrial DNA evidence). Together with their descendants they populated the islands east of New Caledonia - Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and the rest of the Polynesias including north to Hawaii and south to New Zealand. This Lapita migration was impressive. The Pacific comprises nearly half the earth's total surface dotted by a host of far-flung island groups. The Lapita were sailing, exploring, settling and fishing this vast expanse for three thousand years before their distant European cousins got out of the 'bath-tub' we know as the Mediterranean!

The Melanesians and Lapita were closely related peoples, but different in their orientations. The Lapita were people of the salt, the seas; the Melanesians were people of the soil, the land. The Melanesians were indigenous agriculturalists; the Lapita were coastal fisherfolk and traders. The Lapita were restless nomads and explorers, no sooner settling somewhere than some of them deciding to move on. From Samoa and Tonga to Rarotonga and Tahiti; from there to Hawaii and New Zealand. But not only to the east, north and south, some went west, whence their ancestors had come. By trade, the Lapita linked disparate and isolated Pacific communities with other Austronesians, including the 'Micronesians' in the north-western Pacific. The cultures of all these people-groups - Austronesian, Micronesian, Melanesian and Polynesian were inter-woven by the Lapita. Today's Pacific islanders are a reflection of their original social and cultural intercourse.

From Asia to Europe

Pacific islanders lived in this relatively stable 'bubble' until the arrival of a set of distant 'cousins' from the evolutionary life-chain: 'Euroman'. Euroman came from those who originally migrated westward out of central Asia into the Neanderthal valley (near what is now, Dusseldorf, Germany). Out of the 'Neanderthal' stock came the so-called 'CroMagnon' who lived some 45,000 years ago. Neanderthal Europeans were not canoe paddlers, but cave dwellers. They averaged about 5' 3" in height, were muscular and probably much stronger and tougher than today's humans. The Cro-Magnon were neighbours to the Neanderthal and the more direct ancestors of contemporary Europeans. With advent of the Ice Age some thirty-five thousand years ago, Europe, Asia and the Americas were ecologically devastated. Euroman migrated south, back to Africa, and stayed there for about 10,000 years. Around 8000B.C.E. these people's descendants moved back to Europe having followed 'the great thaw' north as plant and animal life re-emerged.

The important point in all this is that after the Ice Age, Europe's climate encouraged a human life-support and value system that favoured competition and struggle, and exploitation of a limited but renewable set of resources. What food systems existed in Europe then were few, but were annually replenished hence lending themselves to the concept of repeatable, agricultural farming. European animals were rapid breeders, widely dispersed, aadaptable and able to survive human exploitation. The pattern of life in Europe emerged therefore as being reliable, renewable, and expendable. This is critical if we are to understand and appreciate the impact of Euroman on the Pacific.

From Europe to the Pacific

When Europeans began migrating into the Pacific a mere two to three hundred years ago, they came up against a very different eco-system - one which was broader in diversity, but which (they failed to appreciate) was extinguishable. The Pacific was the opposite of Europe. (Eco-scientist, Tim Flannery notes, for example, that there are more species of lizards in an average Australian backyard than there are in all of Great Britain!). In other words, life in the Pacific is more varied and abundant, but precarious. Pacific life is fragile and perishable; life in Europe is less varied but hardier to survive a tougher climate. Pacific life-support systems evolved to become species-rich, but are precariously balanced in non-renewable ecological niches.

Upon coming into the Pacific, the first Europeans wrongly imagined they were coming into an eco-system which was like their own - only more bountiful. Hence, as Tim Flannery points out, they simply called evey land mass, 'new': New Holland (ie Australia), New Zealand, New Guinea, New Britain, New Caledonia, New Ireland etc. 'New' land masses with their new and seemingly endless species and new resources promised a paradise. Only the people seemed 'old', and uncivilised, and they stood in the way.

A Pacific Future?

The interaction of 'white' Europe with the 'brown' Pacific has been disastrous for both the people and the ecology of the Pacific. Where the Pacific peoples had adapted to their fragile eco-systems knowing if a species was lost, it was gone forever, 'Euroman' imagined the species they were exploiting 'down under' would simply revive and renew in the manner they were familiar with in Europe. Resource mining, fertiliser-based farming methods, and European immigration into the Pacific to the point of where the indigenous Pacific is now outnumbered ten-to-one by European decendants, have all led to a domination and depletion of Pacific resources. These resources are the basis for the on-going existence of Pacific peoples. They once sustained a tiny number of people-groups enabling them to live on half of the world's surface area; now, people-groups from the other half of the planet have arrived and have taken over.

In addition, through exploitation and mass consumption, Euroman's descendants have also produced 'global warming' - a process which leads to rising sea levels now threatening to submerge those Pacific peoples directly descended from the ancient Lapita - Tongans and other Polynesian and Micronesians. (The land-oriented Melanesians evolved to live on more mountainous land masses). There is little these Pacific peoples can do about global warming except to call on the conscience and goodwill of all people who now call the Pacific their home and planet earth their 'mother'. Their help is needed to reverse the incoming genocidal tide of history which, unless achieved, will be more devastating in effect than any inter-tribal warfare that afflicted these islands. Indeed, if there is a light of hope for a Pacific future, it comes from the growing number of Euro-peoples who are presently expressing their concern and preparedness for sympathetic action in concert with planet earth generally and her Pacific islanders specifically. They recognise that while the migration of human life from Asia into the Pacific was a remarkable achievement in ancient human history, the loss of the Pacific as a home to their contemporary descendants will be a great tragedy.

Dr. R Wolfgramm (THSESWS Political Writer/Analyst)

Until next time, take care!

WEBMASTER 

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Copyright ©: 2001   Loseli Ma'ukie Hafoka.