Koe Tala ‘o e Helu mo e Palātavake ^Featured

‘Oku ‘iloa fakatoulōua he talatukungutu moe talatukutohi hono fua tufunga ‘e Havea Hikule‘o ‘ae helu, ‘aia na‘e ngaohi‘aki ‘ae ngaahi naunau lahi, ‘o tautefito kihe kalava ‘ae palalafa mata ‘oe lau ‘ae ‘akau koe niu moe fulufulu fakalanulanu ‘oe manupuna koe tavake.

‘Oku ngalingali koe ‘uhinga lahi ‘eni na‘e fakahingoa ai ‘ae helu koe Palātavake, ‘aia koe ngaohi‘aki ‘a e palalafa moe fulufulu‘i tavake. ‘Oku pehē na‘e ngaohi ‘e Havea Hikule‘o ‘ae helu mo‘o Tu‘i Tonga Pau, ‘aia na‘e tupu mei he‘ene matu‘aki tatau, potupotutatau mo faka‘ofo‘ofa hono fua fakanofo ai ‘ae hingoa koe Helu.

‘Oku mahino mai mei hono tufunga ‘ae helu ko Havea Hikule‘o koe tufunga nagaohihelu, ‘o toki ngāue‘aki kihe teuteu ‘oe ‘ulu, ‘aia ‘oku toki ui leva koe faiva teuteuhelu.

Na‘e toe ngāue‘aki ‘ae ngaahi naunau kehe na‘e kau ai ‘ae feta‘aki na‘e ngaohi mei he ‘akau koe hiapo, kalava‘i pulu mei he pulu‘i niu, pē kalava‘i alu mei he ‘akau koe alu moe nge‘esi ‘oe fanga ki‘i fingota iiki koe fuiono moha ngaahi me‘a kehe.

‘Oku tui‘aki ‘ae palalafa moe fulufulu‘i tavake ‘ae kalava‘i pulu pē kalava‘i alu kihe feta‘aki kuo fua fakatatau mo fakapotupotutatau kihe fuo ‘oe ‘ulu, ‘o laloni‘aki ‘ae nge‘esi fuiono.

‘Oku ‘iai ‘ae kupu ‘oe maa‘imoa ta‘anga lakalaka mālie ‘ae Kuini ‘Ofeina ‘oe ‘Otu Tonga koe Ta‘ahine ko Sālote koe “Kete Ni Tabua” (“Kete Ni Tapua,” “Kete Koula”) ‘oku ‘asi ai ‘ae “fuiono” ‘o pehē:

Uisa ē! He ‘umata na‘e ‘atalua
‘Oatu ē tokelau moe tonga
Ka ‘oku loloma ‘a Loto Mu‘a
He ‘uteifuiono kuo luva
Fanga ‘i Uiha, fanga ‘i Lifuka
Pea moe fale pē na‘e ua
Koe fē si‘i Fā‘onelua?
Koe huli ‘oe kete ni tabua
He naite ‘oe Tu‘ifaleua

'Oku ngalingali na‘e ma'u 'ae lea 'uteifuiono mei he lea koe 'ūtakifuiono pē “u‘utakifuiono” mei hono ngāue‘aki ‘ae nge‘esi fingota fuiono, ‘o ne ūtaki pē u‘utaki ‘ae kahoki palalafa ‘oku tui ai ‘ae fulufulu‘i tavake he feta‘aki, ‘aia ‘oku toki mafola mei he tefito he mata pē ava mei loto ki tu‘a mo lalo ki ‘olunga mo tafa‘aki, ‘o hangē ha iī pē la‘ā hono fōtunga.

‘Oku taupotu ‘ae palalafa ki loto ‘o tui‘aki ‘ae fulufulu‘i tavake ‘i tu‘a, ‘aia ‘oku mafola mei he tefito he feta‘aki ‘oku tui takatakai he ‘ulu ‘i ‘olunga he la‘e ki tu‘a, ‘o hangē koe fōtunga ha iī.

‘Oku toe hoko ‘ene mafola mei he tefito ki ‘olunga mo tafa‘aki ke toe hangē ha huelo ‘oe la‘ā ulo, ‘aia koe heliaki mālie mo loloto kihe momofi ‘ae mafai, ngeia moe langilangi ‘oha tu‘i, ‘o hangē tofu koe Tu‘i Tonga koe ‘otua, ‘eiki moe tapu, toputapu pē toputapuhā (vakai kihe Tonga‘eiki, Tongatapu moe Tongalahi). ‘Oku ma‘u he tefito ‘oe iī moe la‘ā ‘ae mata pē ava, ‘aia koe uhouhonga ia ‘oe ivi.

‘Oku toe hoko moe me‘a tatau fakatou‘osi ‘ae talatukungutu moe talatukutohi ‘ae ma‘u tokua na‘e taha pē ‘ae helu na‘e ngaohi ‘ehe tufunga ngaohihelu ko Havea Hikule‘o mo ‘o Tu‘i Tonga Pau mo fakahingoa koe Palātavake.

Na‘e toe ma‘u ha toe tala fo‘ou mo makehe mei ha hako ‘o Havea Hikule‘o ‘o pehē na‘e ua tokua ‘ae helu na‘e tufunga ‘e Havea Hikule‘o ma‘a Tu‘i Tonga Pau, ‘o fakahingoa fakatoulōua koe Palātavake. 'Oku mahino heni na'e fakahingoa 'e Havea Hikule'o 'ae ongo helu koe Palātavake, 'o ngali 'uhinga ai hono fakanofo 'a Havea Hikule'o ko Helu kae 'ikai ko Palātavake.

‘Oku ma‘u‘aki ‘ehe kau fekumi moe fakatotolo fakaako mo fakahisitōlia ‘oku taha pe ‘ae fa‘ahinga ‘oe helu, ‘aia pē na‘e ngaohi ‘e Havea Hikule‘o mo‘o Tu‘i Tonga Pau, ‘o fakahingoa koe Palātavake, ‘aia ‘oku nau toe taku koe helu kotoa pē koe Palātavake. 'E lava ke lau 'oku fa'ahinga 'e ua 'ae helu, 'aia koe 'uluaki koe helu helu ('aia na‘e ngāue'aki hono helu 'oe 'ulu koe konga 'oe faiva teuteu) moe ua koe helu tu'u ('aia na‘e ngāue'aki hono fokotu'u he 'ulu koe faiva teuteu). 'Oku kau 'ae ongo helu na'e tufunga 'e Havea Hikule'o he helu tu'u, 'aia na'e fokotu'u he 'ulu 'o Tu'i Tonga Pau koe faiva teuteu.

‘Oku taku na‘e foaki 'e Tu'i Tonga Pau 'ae helu 'e taha ma'a Kuki 'i Ha'apai he 1777 kae foaki 'ae taha mo'o Malasipina 'i Vava'u he 1789. 'Oku ua pe 'ae ongo helu 'oku kei toe mo ma'u, 'aia 'oku lotolotonga tauhi, tokanga'i mo malu'i ‘ae taha he Museum of the Walt 'i Vienna, Austria, moe taha he Museo de America ‘i Madrid, Spain.

Na'a ma siotonu he‘ema fekumi moe fakatotolo he ngaahi misiume ‘i Pilitania mo ‘Iulope he 2015 hono tauhi, tokanga'i mo malu'i 'ae ongo takohi (drawing) 'e ua 'ae 'ātisi/tufunga takohi 'a Malasipina 'oe Taulanga 'Onetale/Funga ‘Onetale 'i Longomapu na‘a nau mu‘a no‘o ai koe fua Taulanga Puatalefusi moe Langi Fekitetele 'i Mataika

'Oku ngalingali na'e kau moe ua 'oe helu Palatavake na'e tufunga 'e Havea Hikule'o kuo fakanofo koe Helu he taha 'oe ngaahi me'a'ofa na'e foaki 'e Tu'i Tonga Pau mo Tupoumoheofo kia Malasipina ‘i Vava‘u.

Na'e toe ma'u tokua ai 'ae hingoa koe Helu hono toe foaki ‘ae helu hono ua na‘e toe foaki ‘e Tu‘i Tonga Pau mo Tupoumoheofo, ‘aia 'oku lotolotonga tu'u ai 'ae Siasi Uēsiliana moe Kolisi Mailefihi-Siu'ilikutapu 'i Neiafu. 'Oku toe taku na'e tau mo Lītaula ‘ae vakafanāfā 'o Malasipina he Taulanga Neiafu koe ua Taulanga Puatalefusi ka nau fononga lalo moe ni‘ihi ‘ene kau kauvaka mei Neiafu ki Mataika.

‘Oku lau na‘e foaki ‘e Vuna ‘o Pangaimotu mo Kanokupolu koe Tu‘i Vava ‘u mo Koate ‘o Longomapu moe ‘Eiki Ha‘atakalaua ‘a Vava‘u kia Malasipina ma‘ae Tu‘i Sipeini mo Sipeini.

Na‘e foki ‘a Malasipina ki Sipeini kae toe ha‘u ke sila‘i ‘ae aleapau ka na‘a ne ngāue pōpula he lotolotonga ‘ae Tau Fakalotofonua, ‘o ‘ikai toe liu tu‘oua mai ki Vava‘u ke fakapapau‘i ‘ae aleapau he vaha‘a ‘oe Tu‘i Sipeini/Sēpeni mo Sipeini/Sēpeni mo Vuna mo Koate mo Vava‘u.

‘Oku taku na‘e ma‘u ‘e Vava‘u mei a Malasipina moe kau Sipeini ‘ae ‘akau koe molipeli moe fua faiva tākitā la‘ula‘u fakaSipeini. Na‘e toe mei hoko ‘a Vava‘u koe kolonia ‘oe Tu‘i Sipeini mo Sipeini, ‘o hokohoko mo fakalakalaka ai pē ‘enau faiva tākitā mo toe poto he faiva taupulutau.

‘Oku ‘osi fakapapau‘i he tohilekooti/talatukutohi ‘ae misiume koe ma‘u mei he tohinoa ‘a Malasipina na‘e kau ‘ae tano'a ‘oku pehē foaki 'e Tu'i Tonga Pau mo hono moheofo ko Tupoumoheofo kia Malasipina he 1789, ‘aia ‘oku tauhi, tokanga‘i mo malu‘i fakataha moe ongo takohi ‘e ua ‘ene ‘ātisi/tufunga takohi he Museo de America ‘i Madrid, Spain.

‘Oku toe matu‘aki fiema‘u ke hokohoko atu ‘ae fekumi moe fakatotolo fakaako mo fakasaienisi ke toe fakapapau‘i koe ongo helu koia koe Palātavake he ongo Museum of the Walt ‘i Vienna, Austria, moe Museo de America ‘i Madrid, Spain, na‘e tufunga ‘ehe fua Helu ko Havea Hikule‘o mo‘o Tu‘i Tonga Pau, ‘aia ‘oku lau na‘a ne foaki koe me‘a‘ofa ma‘a Kuki mo Malasipina.

'Oku 'ikai koe palātavake 'ae helu ka koe helu pē 'oku fakahingoa koe Palatavake, 'o hangē koe hingoa 'oe ongo helu na'e tufunga 'e Havea Hikule'o na‘e fakanofo koe Helu koe Palātavake.

'Oku tatau pē moe 'ikai koe mohekonokono, ualulu, likuvalu, pasitaukei moe pasivūlangi 'ae pōvai kotoa pē ka koe pōvai pē 'oku takitaha fakahingoa koe Mohekonokono, Ualulu, Likuvalu, Pasitaukei moe Pasivūlangi ‘a Vaha‘i, Tāufa‘āhau mo ‘Ulukālala.

'Oku toe tatau pē moe 'ikai ha 'akautau koe pōvai, tao moe ngahau ka koe 'akautau kotoa pē 'oku takitaha fakahingoa koe pōvai, tao moe ngahau. 'Oku lahi 'ae kau Helu ka 'oku taha pē 'ae Helu, 'o hangē koe fua Helu (Havea Hikule'o), Helu (Talatala), Helu (Losipeli) mo Helu (Langitoto).

Hūfanga Dr ‘Ōkusitino Māhina, PhD
Professor of Art, Culture and Critical Anthropology
Tonga International Academy &
Vava‘u Academy for Critical Inquiry and Applied Research
&
Kolokesa U. Māhina-Tuai
Project Curator, Pacific
Auckland War Memorial Museum/Tāmaki Paenga Hira