Ko e Kuohili/Kuongamu‘a, Lotolotonga/Kuongaloto, moe Kaha‘u/Kuongamui (Past, Present, and Future) ^Featured

Ko e Kuohili/Kuongamu‘a, Lotolotonga/Kuongaloto, moe Kaha‘u/Kuongamui (Past, Present, and Future)

‘Oku kehekehe ‘ae fokotu‘utu‘u ‘ae ta moe va (time and space), ‘o hange pe koe fonua, kalatua moe tala, lea (culture & language), moe ako & ‘aati (education & art), mei he fonua kihe fonua, ‘o hange pe ko Tonga (mo Moana, ‘Osenia) -- ‘aia ‘oku nau fokotu‘utu‘u ‘fakatouloua, fakahoa’ fakakohi, fakalaini (linear, lineal), ‘ae ‘past,’ ‘present,’ moe ‘future,’ koe ‘kuohili’ (‘that-which-has-passed’), ‘lotolotonga’ (‘that-which-is-now’), moe ‘kaha‘u’ (that-which-is-yet-to-come’) -- mo toe fakafelavai, fakafehiliaki (cyclical, circular), kinautolu koe ‘kuongamu‘a’ (‘age-in-the-front’), ‘kuongaloto’ ‘age-in-the-middle’), moe ‘kuongamui’ (‘age-in-the-back’) – kae fokotu‘utu‘u ‘fakatafataha, fakataautaha,’ fakakohi, fakalaini (lineal, linear), kinautolu koe ‘past,’ ‘present,’ moe ‘future,’ he Uesite. ‘Oku lava pe ke toe ui ‘ae ‘kuohili,’ ‘lotolotonga,’ moe ‘kaha‘u,’ koe ‘kuohoko’ (‘that-which-has-happened’) ‘hoko’ (‘that-which-is-happening’) moe ‘kahoko’ (‘that-which-is-yet-to-happen’) kihe ‘past,’ ‘present,’ moe ‘future’, ‘aia ‘oku fokotu‘utu‘u fakakohi, fakalaini (lineal, linear).

‘Oku ‘iai ‘ae me‘a malie lahi ‘oku ho‘ata mai hono fokotu‘utu‘u fakafelavai, fakafehiliaki (cyclical, circular) mo fakakohi, fakalaini (lineal, linear), ‘fakatouloua’ ‘ae ‘kuongamu‘a’ (past), ‘kuongaloto (‘present’), moe ‘kuongamui’ (‘future’) moe ‘kuohili, kuohoko’ (past), ‘lotolotonga, hoko’ (‘present’), moe ‘kaha‘u, kahoko’ (‘future’) ‘i Tonga (mo Moana, ‘Osenia). ‘Oku mahino ai ‘ae muimui ofi ‘etau fanga kui ‘i natula, maama, moe ‘iai, ‘aia koe molomolo muiva‘e ‘oe ‘founga ‘ae tangata’ (‘way of man’) he ‘founga ‘a natula, maama, moe ‘iai (‘way of nature, earth, reality’), ‘o ‘uhinga koe ‘ilo‘anga (moe poto‘anga) moe malu‘anga. ‘Oku ‘asi ia he tefito ‘he‘enau founga ngaue kotoa pe’ he‘enau ‘ilo, poto, moe taukei ‘ae ‘founga ngaue ‘a natula, maama, moe ‘iai, ‘o kau lahi ai ‘ae tu‘utauhoa ta‘emavahevahe ta‘engata ‘ae me‘a kotoa pe, ‘o hange koe ta-va, fuo-uho, tangata-fefine, mo‘ui-mate, moe maau-felekeu, ‘aia ‘oku kau ai ‘oe tu‘utauhoa ma‘u ‘ae ‘kuohili, kuohoko,’ ‘lotolotonga,’ ‘hoko,’ moe ‘kaha‘u, kahoko,’ moe ‘kuongamu‘a,’ ‘kuongaloto’, moe ‘kuongamui.’

‘Oku maama mo mahino lelei ‘ae founga fisifisimu‘a mo kinokinoifia ‘etau fanga kui he‘enau ma‘unga he‘enau founga (way of man) kihe ta moe va, moe hoa moe soa (fakaHa‘amoa), ‘o hange koe ongo hoa ‘uhinga ‘fakalela’ mo ‘fakaheliaki’ ‘oe ‘past,’ ‘present,’ moe ‘future,’ ‘aia koe ongo hoa, soa, koe ‘fakakohi, fakalaini’ (lineal, linear) koe ‘kuohili, kuohoko,’ ‘lotolotonga, hoko,’ moe ‘kaha‘u, kahoko’ (‘fakalela’) moe ‘fakafelavai, fakafehiliaki’ (cyclical, circular) koe ‘kuongamu‘a,’ ‘kuongaloto, moe ‘kuongamui’ (‘fakaheliaki’). ‘Oku ‘uhinga ‘ae ‘fakaheliaki’ koe ‘lea ‘ae me‘a ‘e taha kae ‘uhinga kihe me‘a ‘e taha,’ ‘aia ‘oku ‘uhinga ‘ae lea koe ‘kuongam‘a’ (‘kuohili, kuohoko’), ‘kuongaloto’ (‘lotolotonga, hoko’), moe ‘kuongamui’ (‘kaha‘u, kahoko’) hono ‘ave ‘ae ‘kuohili, kuohoko’ (past), kuo ‘osi hili, hoko, ‘ki-mu‘a’ (‘front’) koe tuhulu – kae ‘omi ‘ae ‘kaha‘u, kahoko’ (future) ‘ki-mui’ (‘back’), ‘o huluhulu ‘ehe ‘kuohili, kuohoko,’ ka toki ha‘u, hoko, ‘aia ‘oku fai hona fakamaau, fakafenāpasi, ‘i ‘loto’ (‘middle’) ‘oku ‘lotolotonga, hoko’ (present).

Na‘e ngaue‘aki fakatafataha, fakataautaha, ‘ae ‘uhinga ‘fakafelavai, fakaheliaki’ ‘oe ‘kuongamui’ (‘future’ as ‘age-in-the-back’) ‘ehe ongo tufunga hele‘uhila ongoongoa ko Robert Zemecris mo Bob Gale he‘ena filimi fa‘u, fikisoni, fakasaienisi (science fiction film) manakoa moe ‘iloa he 1985 koe ‘Back to the Future’ ‘oku liliu fakaofiofi koe ‘Foki Kimui kihe Kaha‘u.’ ‘Oku hanga ‘e Robert mo Bob ‘o vaetu‘ua, vaeua, ‘ae ogno hoa, soa, ta‘emavahevahe koe ‘kuongamui’ (‘future,’ ‘age-in-the-back’) mei he ‘kuongamu‘a’ (‘past,’ ‘age-in-the-front’), ‘aia ‘oku fai hona fakamaau, fakafenāpasi, he fihitu‘u, fepakitu‘u, ‘oe ‘kuongaloto’ (‘present,’ ‘age-in-the-middle’) – ‘o hange tofu koe vahetu‘ua, vaheua, ‘ehe Uesite ‘ae hoa, soa, ta‘emovetevete ‘oe ‘kuohili, kuohoko’ (‘past’), ‘lotolotonga, hoko’ (‘present’), moe ‘kaha‘u, kahoko’ (‘future’) mei he ‘kuongamu‘a’ (‘past’), ‘kuongaloto’ (‘present’), moe ‘kuongamui’ (‘future’) – ‘aia koe fakamavahe, fakamavae, ‘ae hoa, soa, koe ‘fakafelavai, fakafehiliaki,’ mei he ‘fakakohi, fakalaini,’ ‘oe ‘past,’ ‘present,’ moe ‘future.’

‘Oku toe fakalea malie fakaTonga (mo fakaMoana, faka‘Osenia) ‘ae ‘fakaheliaki’ moe ‘fakalela’ ‘oe ‘past,’ ‘present,’ moe ‘future,’ ‘o pehē ‘oku tau ‘alu ‘ki-mu‘a’ kihe ‘kuohili, kuohoko’ (‘forward’ into the past) mo tau toe ‘alu ‘ki-mui’ kihe ‘kaha‘u, kahoko’ (‘backward’ into the future), ‘aia ‘oku ‘uhinga koe ‘kau ‘alu ta-va’ (‘time-space travelers’) fakatouloua he ta moe va tatau fakatouloua ‘ki-mu‘a kihe kuohili, kuohoko, ki-mui kihe kaha‘u, kahoko.’ ‘Oku ‘uhinga ‘ae lau ‘oku kei mo‘ui he lotolotonga ki honau ‘laumalie’ kae ‘ikai ko honau ‘matelie,’ ‘aia ko ‘enau ‘enau ‘ilo, poto, moe taukei ‘oku tolonga mo tu‘uloa mai mei he ‘kuohili, kuohoko’ (‘past’), kihe ‘lotolotonga, hoko’ (‘present’), kihe ‘kaha‘u, kahoko’ (‘future’). ‘Oku hoko honau ‘laumalie’ (‘ilo, poto, moe taukei’) koe ‘tuhulu’ ‘ae ‘lotolotonga, hoko’ (‘present’) moe ‘huluhulu’ ‘ae ‘kaha‘u, kahoko’ (‘future’), ‘o fakamaau, fakafenāpasi, ‘ae ‘kuohili, kuohoko’ (‘past’) moe ‘kaha‘u, kahoko,’ fakatouloua he liliu ta‘etuku mo fihitu‘u mo fepakitu‘u ‘ae ‘lotolotonga, hoko’ (‘present’) ‘oku fakatatau ai ‘ae ‘felekeu’ moe ‘maau.’

In brief English summary

The past, present, and future, like time and space and life and death, are socially organised in different ways across cultures. The past, present, and future are socially organised in Tonga (and Moana, Oceania), in plural, temporal-spatial, collectivistic, holistic, and circular ways, both historically as kuohili, kuohoko (past, that-which-has-passed), lotolotonga, hoko (present, that-which-is-now), and kaha‘u, kahoko (future, that-which-is-yet-to-come), on the one hand, and metaphorically as kuongamu‘a (past, age-in-the-front), kuongaloto (present, age-in-the-middle), and kuongamui (future, age-in-the-back). This is in stark contrast to their historical (but not metaphorical) organisation in singular, techno-teleological, individualistic, atomistic, and linear ways in the West. Metaphorically, the past (kuohili, kuohoko), given the fact that it has stood the test of timespace, is put in front of people as guidance, and the fact that the future (kaha‘u, kahoko) is yet to take place, it is brought to the back of people, informed by past experiences, both mediated in the changing present (lotolotonga, hoko).

By extension, this quite simply means, that we, in both historical and metaphorical ways, are ta-va, time-space, travelers both forward (ki-mu‘a) into the past and, at the same ta and va, time and space, backward (ki-mui) into the future, both taking place in the centre (loto) of the ever-changing present. This is in opposition to the most popular 1984 science fiction film ‘Back to the Future’ (‘Kimui kihe Kaha‘u’) by both Robert Zemecris and Bob Gale, who not only singularly emphasised ta, time, travel over and above wholly both ta-va, time-space, travel, but also privileged ‘backward into the future’ above and beyond ‘forward into the past,’ which are both inseparable albeit indispensable hoa, soa, pairs of equal and opposite binaries. However, this is reminiscent of the problematic separation of both the historical and metaphorical aspects of the past, present, and future, where the Western singular, techno-teleological, individualistic, atomistic, and linear ways are privileged over and beyond the Tongan (and Moanan, Oceanian) plural, temporal-spatial, collectivistic, holistic, and circular modes.

ANFF leva e malanga kae tau,

‘Ofa mohu & manatu fonu,

Ka tau toki hoko atu,

Hufanga He Ako Moe Lotu, Dr ‘Okusitino Mahina, Professor of Tongan Philosophy, Anthropology & Art, Vava‘u Academy for Critical Inquiry & Applied Research (VACIAR), Vava‘ulahi, Kingdom of Tonga & Va Moana: Space & Relationality in Pacific Thought & Identity, Marsden Inquiry & Research Cluster, Auckland University of Technology (AUT), Auckland, Aoteroa New Zealand.