Langatoi Kumitoi (Hide and Seek) ^Featured

Maau fakaTonga motu‘a (Ancient Tongan nursery rhyme)

Faiva ma‘ae tamaiki/‘Va‘inga’ ma‘ae tamaiki (A children‘s performance art/A children‘s game)

 Fakafatu-fakafa‘u mo fakaafo-fakafasi ‘ehe punake ta‘e‘iloa (Poetry and music composed by an anonymous poet)

Liliulea ‘Ingilisi ‘e (English translation by) Fetongikava Dr Viliami Uasike Latu & Hufanga He Ako Moe Lotu Professor Dr ‘Okusitino Mahina

FakaTonga (Tongan)

Langatoi kumitoi

‘Ofa pe keu ‘ilo‘i

‘Ae tama ‘oku toi

‘Ihe lalo mohoki

‘Alu koe ‘o toi

Faka'Ingilisi (English)

Hide and seek

I wish to find

A child who hides

Under a mohokoi tree

You go and hide

Fanga Kuma (You Dear Rats)

Maau fakaTonga motu‘a (Ancient Tongan nursery rhyme)

 Maau moe hiva ma‘ae tamaiki (A nursey rhyme for children)

Fakafatu-fakafa‘u mo fakaafo-fakafasi ‘ehe punake ta‘e‘iloa (Poetry and music composed by an anonymous poet)

FakaTonga (Tongan)

‘Ae fanga kuma e

Mou lele ki fe?

Mau lele ki he

‘O kai e ma ‘ae patele

Ke ‘osi‘osinga malie

Faka‘Ingilisi (English)

You dear mice

To where you run?

We run over there

To eat the padre‘s bread

And all of it

Koe ki‘i fakamatala moe huluhulu nounou

Na‘e lahi fau ‘ae ngaahi maau moe hiva moe faiva moe ‘va‘inga’ ‘ae tamaiki he kuohili, ‘o hange koe ‘Langatoi Kumitoi,’ ‘Fanga Kuma,’ ‘Papalounima Fusifusiloutelinga,’ moe ‘Hiko’ kae mole mamalie koe ngaue lahi ‘ae ngaahi maau moe hiva moe faiva moe ‘va‘inga’ fo‘ou kuo vave ‘ene hake‘uta mai mei muli, ‘o hange koe ‘Tau Pekenene,’ ‘Pulekaka Kaupoe,’ ‘Papa Pelekisipi,’ ‘Tuingikolo Tuingikolo Litolosita,’ moe ‘keimi lupiki kiupi’ pea kimui ni mai he ‘Kuonga ‘oe ‘AiTi (IT)’ pe ‘Kuonga ‘oe Komipiuta’ koe ‘keimi komipiuta,’ ‘keimi vitio,’ ‘keimi lomilomi,’ ‘keimi paepae,’ ‘keimi tau,’ ‘keimi lovaka,’ moe faiva hele‘uhila moe faiva vitio.

Na‘e ‘iloa ‘ae maau moe hiva ‘ae tamaiki koe faiva, ‘o hange koe ‘faiva langatoi kumitoi,’ moe ‘haiva hiko,’ ‘o ‘ikai mahino hono liliu koe ‘va‘inga,’ ‘aia ‘oku matamata na‘e kau fakataha moe hono ui ‘ae ‘faiva (tau)‘akapulu,’ ‘faiva (tau)tenisi,’ ‘faiva fuhu,’ moe ‘faiva kakau’ koe ‘sipoti, keimi, moe va‘inga (tau)‘akapulu,’ ‘sipoti, keimi, moe va‘inga (tau)tenisi,’ ‘sipoti, keimi, moe va‘inga fuhu,’ moe ‘sipoti, keimi, moe va‘inga kakau.’ ‘Oku hanga ‘ehe ngaahi lea koe ‘sipoti, keimi, moe va‘inga’ ‘o fetongi ‘ae lea koe ‘faiva,’ ‘o fakamalumalu ai ‘ae faiva kotoa, ‘aia ‘oku tefito-he-sino hono faka‘ilonga ‘ehe ta ‘ae va mo fakafonu ‘ehe va ‘ae ta.

Na‘e fakafa‘u-fakafatu mo fakaafo-fakafasi ‘ae ongo maau-hiva koe ‘Langatoi Kumitoi’ moe ‘Fanga Kuma’ ‘ehe ongo punake ta‘e‘iloa. ‘Oku to‘o ma‘ama‘a mo faingofua pe hona heliaki, ‘o tefito pe he anga moe founga hono fai ‘ae faiva (‘sipoti,’ ‘keimi’ moe ‘va‘inga’) koe langa moe kumi toi (langatoi moe kumitoi) moe kuma hono kai e ma ‘ae patele. ‘Oku malie hono fokotu‘utu‘u fakatatau mo fakapotupotutatau ‘ehe ongo punake ‘ae fakakaukau moe afo, fasi, ‘oe ongo maau-laulau koe ‘langa-moe-kumi-toi’ moe ‘kuma-moe-kaima,’ ‘o huluni ai moe faiva fakaoli, ‘aia ‘oku fakaola koe kata, ‘o hoko koe fiefia‘anga moe malie‘anga ‘oe tamaiki.

In brief English summary

Most, if not all, of the most beautiful old children‘s nursery rhymes, such as ‘Langatoi Kumitoi’ (‘Hide and Seek’), ‘Fanga Kuma’ (‘You Dear Mice’) and ‘Papalounima Fusifusiloutelinga,’ (‘Hand-clapping Ear-flicking’), have slowly but surely replaced by ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’ and ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,’ as well as an increasing array of new IT-related games, such as computer, video, and war games. An example. the newly introduced rugby-playing performance art of faiva ‘akapulu, which is temporally-defined and spatially-composed, is now called rugby-playing sport or game, commonly uttered as sipoti, keimi or va‘inga ‘akapulu.