Tag: tonga
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Tonga Through A Visitor’s Eyes
We arrived in Tonga thinking we knew what island life would feel like. I imagined beaches, palm trees, and an easy vacation rhythm. What I didn’t expect was how quietly Tonga would change the way I think about time, people, and what truly matters. The first thing I noticed was the pace. Things don’t always…
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Easy Tongan ‘Otai
‘Otai (pronounced OH—tie) is a fresh drink usually made with fresh fruits, heavy cream, ice cream, or coconut milk. Tongans claim to have invented the drink, but Hawaiians, Samoans, Fijians, and other Polynesian cultures enjoy it. Living on an island where fruit is abundant, this creative drink became a staple in the Tongan diet. Years…
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Polynesians: Ancient Seafayers
Just as the movie Moana portrayed, Polynesians were ocean-going voyagers of the sea. They used double-hulled canoes, sometimes fifty feet long and powered by wind. On board, they carried precious cargo of seeds, cultivated plants, and domestic animals to create and support their island ways of life: coconut, breadfruit, bananas, taro, yams, arrowroot, and sugarcane. …
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Teacher Write Summer Camp Experience: Crafting Words with Kate Messner
Every summer for about the last 6 years, I have participated in Teacher Write, which is a free, online summer writing camp for teachers and librarians. Last summer, I was traveling too much, so I am excited to participate again this summer. Hosted by award-winning author Kate Messner, she explains, “It’s meant to be a fun,…
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The Tongan Way
Tongan customs, or angafakatonga, are an important part of Tongan identity: all of their values, practices, beliefs, and behaviors. Their angafakatonga can also be found through their connections to the Christian church and family, and both are of the highest importance. Tongans love to share their family tree. One of the first things many Tongans…
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Pepeha, Your Mountain, Your Identity
When do we develop an identity? Our identity starts right from the beginning. Our environment, our parents, our siblings, our cultural setting. But this process can be more difficult when you are adopted. It can be hard to grow up in a family where you do not look like your parents or siblings. Maoris greet…
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One of The Oldest Foods On The Earth
I enjoy researching unique things about life in Tonga, and the other day, I came across an article about seafood, limu in Tongan. Known as one of the oldest foods on the earth, and touted as a superfood, limu is becoming more popular. I purchased some through Amazon to add to shakes; I am trying…
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Tonga Volcano Eruption: Let’s Not Forget!
This week I was thinking about Tonga and the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano which erupted almost one year ago on January 15, 2022. How can the people of Tonga be so resilient? Besides the ash, smoke and gases that were the highest ever reported, how does a country recover from that? Not to mention one…
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Niuafo’ou: Tin Can Island
In Tonga’s First King and Other Folk Tales, the last folktale in the book is about how the island of Niuafo’ou (many new coconuts) came to be. This island is unique because it is also called the Tin Can Island. Unlike other islands worldwide, it does not have a natural harbor or pier, so there…
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Where Did Tongans Come From?
Tonga emerged from the sea from a pair of volcanic chains from Australian and Pacific tectonic plates as some of these volcanoes rose above sea level. Some of these volcanoes below the surface provided a place where coral reefs would grow and later rise up forming limestone islands. The largest of these islands is Tongatapu.…