Faiva Lea Heliaki ^Featured

Fai ‘e Palōfesa Hūfanga Dr ‘Ōkusitino Māhina
Professor of Art, Culture and Critical Anthropology
Vava’u Academy for Critical Inquiry and Applied Research [VACIAR] &
Tonga International Academy [TIA]

Na‘a ku lave, he ‘atikolo 17, ki he tauhivā [keeping sociospatial relations] mo e fatongia [socioeconomic obligations] fakaTonga mo e temokalati [democracy] mo e kepitalisi [capitalism] fakaUēsite, ‘a ia ko e ongo founga kehekehe ki hono fokotu‘utu‘u mo fakahoko ‘a e mafai [power] mo e koloa [wealth], ‘o fekau‘aki ‘a e tauhivā mo e temokalati mo e politiki [politics] ka e felāve’i ‘a e fatongia mo e kepitalisi mo e ‘ikonōmika [economics], ‘a ia ‘oku fakatokolahi ‘a e tauhivā mo e fatongia fakaTonga ka e fakatokotaha ‘a e temokalati mo e kepitalisi fakaUēsite. ‘Oku ma‘u ‘a e tau’atāina he fetauhi‘aki ‘a e ngaahi vā mo e fefua‘aki ‘a e ngaahi fatongia he fakakaukau mo e fakangāue fakaTonga ka e ma‘u ‘a e tau‘atāina he takitaha fe‘au‘auhi hono tānaki mo e fakatupu ‘a e koloa fakatokotaha he fakakaukau fakaUēsite.

Te u talanoa heni, he ‘atikolo 18, ki he faiva lea heliaki [performance art of speaking in metaphor or symbolically-saying-one-thing-but-really-meaning-another], ‘a ia na‘e to e liliu lea kimui ni ko e faiva lea fakatātā, ‘o hangē ko e ngaahi akonaki mālie ‘a e faiako tālā ko Sīsū, mo hono to e ui ‘a e taha ‘o e ngaahi Tohi he Tohitapu ko e Tohi Lea Fakatātā/Tohi Paloveape/Tohi Poloveape [Book of Proverbs]. Na‘e to e fakahingoa foki ‘a e lea heliaki he silapusi/kulīkalamu [syllabus/curriculum] fakaako ‘o e lēsoni Lea Tonga ko e Paloveape/Poloveape [Proverbs]. ‘Oku ‘uhinga ‘e ua hono ngāue‘aki ‘a e lea ko ia ko e heliaki, ‘a ia ko e [1] faiva lea heliaki mo e [2] me‘angāue faka‘aati [artistic] mo fakalitilelī [literary] hono fakafelavai [intersection], pē fakahoko [connection] mo fakamavahe [separation], ‘a e vaa‘i‘uhinga he faiva ta‘anga/faiva maau [performance art of poetry] moe tufunga lea [material art of speech-making] mo e faiva lea [performance art of speech-giving], ‘o fenāpasi ‘a e fepaki he vā ‘o e ongo ‘uhinga ‘e ua, ‘a ia ko e [1] me‘a ‘oku lea‘aki mo e [2] me‘a ‘oku ‘uhinga ki ai.

‘Oku ua ‘a e founga lalahi ‘oku fa‘u‘aki ‘a e faiva lea heliaki, ‘a ia ko e [1] ko ha lea potupotutatau, mālie mo fakangalongata‘a fau ‘a ha kakai mo e [2] ko ha lea potupotutatau, mālie mo fakangalaongata‘a ha ngāue māhu‘inga mo ‘aonga atu he fonua. ‘Oku lava ke tau pehē ko e lea heliaki ko e ta‘anga/maau ‘oku taki kohi/laini ‘e taha ka ko e ta‘anga/maau ko e tānaki fakataha ‘oku fakakupu/fakaveesi hono tā mo e vā, fuo mo e uho, ‘a ha ngaahi kohi/laini [that is, a lea heliaki (proverb) is a one-line ta‘anga/maau (poetry/poem), and a poetry/poem is a collection of lea heliaki (proverbs)]. Neongo kotoa ia, ‘oku vātatau ‘a e faiva lea heliaki mo e ta‘anga/maau, ‘a ia ‘oku fakafenāpasi [mediate] ‘a e ‘uhinga, ‘o liliu ‘a e fepakipaki [conflict] mei he tu‘unga ‘o e felekeu [chaos] ki he tūkunga ‘o e maau he funga ‘o e tatau mo e potupotutatau ke ma‘u ‘a e faka‘ofo‘ofa/mālie, ‘a ia ‘oku fakaola he loto ko e ongo māfana, vela mo e tauelangi.

‘Oku kau he fa‘ahinga [1] ‘a e ngaahi faiva lea heliaki ko e: “‘Oua ‘e tangi ke tatau he ‘e ‘ita ‘a Tāufa‘āhau” [lea ‘a Tāufa‘āhau], ‘o ‘uhinga ke takitaha nofo pē he‘ene kai, ‘o tefito pē hono mālohinga, ‘a ia ko e me’a ‘oku ‘ilo lahi taha ki ai mo poto lahi taha ai, ‘o taumaiā ‘e tatau ha taha mo Tāufa‘āhau, ‘a ia na‘e tokotaha pe ‘e ke i tokotaha pē. ‘Oku ofi ‘eni he fakakaukau mohu polopalema ‘o e “role model” [“fa‘ifa‘itaki”/“fakatatau”], ‘a ia ‘e hoko ‘a e lea heliaki mālie ni ke ne huluhulu hono matavaivai; “‘E ‘i ai pē ‘a e ‘aho ‘e taha” [lea ‘a Manutuli], ‘a ia ‘oku ‘uhinga hono fai maau mo tokanga ha fa‘ahinga ngāue, ‘o tatau pē ngāue si‘i mo e ngāue lahi, ‘a ia ‘oku ‘ikai ngata pē hono lelei mo e ‘aonga fau ka e to e nonga mo e fiefia atu; mo e “‘Oku ‘ikai pē ha hū ‘a e vaimafana ia ‘e hala” [lea ‘a Makafefie], ‘o ‘uhinga ki ha me‘a ‘oku mohu he lelei mo faka‘ofo‘ofa fau ‘iate ia pē, ‘a ia ‘e  ke i fonu pē ia he mā’uhinga mo e ‘aonga lahi ha tā mo ha vā pē.

‘Oku kau foki he fa‘ahinga [2] ‘a e to e ngaahi faiva lea heliaki lahi ‘oku mālie atu mo loloto fau kuo fakatokotokonaki mai he ngaahi kuonga, ‘o hangē ko e: “Si‘i femolimoli‘i lahi takitaha kai,” ‘a ia ‘oku ho‘ata mai ai ‘a e mo‘ui fakatokolahi fakaTonga ‘oku humaki he tauhivā mo e fatongia, ‘a ia ‘oku fai ‘a e vaevaemanava he funga ‘o e fetauhi‘aki ‘a e ngaahi vā mo fefua‘aki ‘o e ngaahi fatongia ke ‘oua ‘e fai ha mate, ‘o tukukehe ka ‘o kapau ‘e lahi, ‘a ia ‘e hoko ko e malu‘anga mo e fiemālie‘anga;  “‘Alu ngahehehehe foki nga‘ete‘ete,” ‘o tuhu ki he ngatū ‘a e hifo ‘a e kau toutai mei ‘uta ki tahi mo e oloolo ‘enau hake mai ki ‘uta mei tahi, ‘a ia ko e faka‘ilonga ‘o e kovi he me‘akai mo e kaipō; mo e “Taau pē lei mo e tofua‘a,” ‘o to e lava pē ‘o fulihi ko e: “Taau pē tofua‘a mo e lei,” ‘a ia ‘oku tuhu ki ha ongo me‘a ‘e ua ‘oku fetu‘otu‘animālie mo hohoatatau hona anga, ‘o hangē ko ha taha ‘oku mo‘umo‘ua mo ne to e tufotufa ‘ene koloa ki he māsiva, ‘a ia ‘oku ‘ikai ngata pē he‘ene mohu he koloa ka e to e fonu foki he ‘ofa.

‘Oku tupu ma‘u pē ‘a e faiva lea heliaki he ngaahi faiva lea heliaki fo’ou ‘a ha kakai mo e ngaahi ngāue mā‘uhinga ‘oku nau potupotutatau, mālie mo fakangalongata‘a, ‘o hangē ko e: ‘Āsinga ai ho‘o kole heka mo ho‘o to e kole tātepi,” ‘o ‘uhinga ki ha ‘oku fa‘a kole, ‘a ia ‘oku ‘osi ‘a e kole ‘e taha ‘oku to e ta‘ota‘o atu ha to e kole ‘e taha, ‘o ‘ikai mu‘a ke kole tahataha, ‘a ia ko e faka‘ilonga ‘o e ta‘enānā, ta‘emalū‘ia mo e ta‘etopono; “Lahi ange ‘a e taimi teke he taimi lele,” ‘o ma‘u mei he motokā motu‘a ‘a e tangata mohu faiva fakaoli ‘iloa ko Mosese Niuafe, ‘a ia na‘e lahi ange ‘ene taimi mate he‘ene taimi mo‘ui, ‘o tuhu ki ha taha ‘oku lahi ange ‘ene mamahi he‘ene fiefia;  “Koloa pē ‘a e mo‘ui fuoloa,” ‘a ia ko e ma‘u mei he faiva kilikiti, ‘o ‘uhinga ki he ke i ma‘u ‘a e kai 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 pē 6 he ke i mo‘ui ka e ‘ikai ko e mate, ‘a ia ko e ke i lava pē ‘o fai ha ngāue he kei ma‘u ‘a e ivi mo e mālohi; mo e “Koloa pē ‘a e tō ki ai,” ‘a ia na‘e ma‘u mei he faiva tenisi, ‘o makatu‘unga ‘a e lau e kai mei hono tā ma‘u pē ‘a e pulu ke tō ki he tafa‘aki mala‘e ‘o e hoatau, ‘a ia ‘oku tuhu ki ha ma‘u ha monū mei ha ngāue maau mo lelei.

‘Oku ma‘u mei uho, fuo mo e to‘onga ‘a e faiva lea heliaki ha founga matu‘aki lelei mo kinokinoifia mo faka‘ofo‘ofa lahi hono faiako mo ako ‘a e faiva ta‘anga/faiva maau mo e tufunga lea mo e faiva lea Tonga he ngaahi ‘apiako ‘i Tonga, ‘o kamata he ngaahi faiva lea heliaki ko e ngaahi ta‘anga/maau ‘oku kohi/laini taha, pea toki hoko ki he ngaahi faiva ta ‘anga/faiva maau mo e ngaahi tufunga lea mo e faiva lea ko hono fakatahataha ‘a e ngaahi lea heliaki, ‘a ia ko e hala ia ki hono ma‘u ‘a e mahino ‘oku lahi mo e ‘ilo mo e poto ‘oku loloto. ‘Oku tefito ‘eni he heliaki ko e me‘angāue faka‘aati mo fakalitilali ‘oku ne fakafenāpasi ‘a e fihitu‘u mo e fepakitu‘u he vaha‘a ‘o e me‘a ‘oku lea‘aki mo e me ‘a ‘oku ‘uhinga ki ai, ‘o liliu mei he tu‘unga ‘o e felekeu ki he tūkunga ‘o e maau he funga ‘o e tatau mo e potupotutatau ke ma‘u ‘a e faka‘ofo‘ofa/mālie. ‘Oku mā‘uhinga ke fakahū ‘eni he silapusi/kulīkalamu ‘a e ako ko e konga tefito ‘o e ako ki Tonga ‘i Tonga, ‘o ‘ikai ngata pē he faiva lea heliaki ka e pehē ki he faiva ta‘anga/faiva maau mo e tufunga lea mo e faiva lea.

Ta u toki hoko atu,
‘Ofa lahi mo e hūfaki.