Mālō e lelei! Si’oto’ofa! Welcome to Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e Lea Faka-Tonga | Tonga Language Week Sunday 5 September to Saturday 11 September 2021. The theme this year is Fakakoloa ‘o Aotearoa ‘aki ‘a e Ako Lelei | Enriching Aotearoa with holistic education.
Archive of Māori and Pacific Sound 50th Anniversary Podcast
To mark Tonga Language Week, the Archive of Māori and Pacific Sound (AMPS) presents their 50th Anniversary Podcast, a series of talanoa (conversations) with five significant anthropologists from the University of Auckland, in celebration of the Archive’s 50th anniversary.
For the series, AMPS staff spoke to Dr Judith Huntsman, Professor Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe Lotu Dr ‘Ōkusitino Māhina, Dr Richard Moyle, Dr Wendy Pond and Dame Anne Salmond about their work with the Archive since it was established in 1970. They also shared rich details about their decades of fieldwork and research. The podcast is being released in stages to coincide with the remaining Language Weeks coming up this year.
Listen to the first two episodes with Professor Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe Lotu Dr ‘Ōkusitino Māhina and Dr Wendy Pond below.
Professor Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe Lotu Dr ‘Ōkusitino Māhina
AMPS staff spoke to Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe Lotu Dr ‘Ōkusitino Māhina, Professor of Tongan Philosophy, Anthropology and Aesthetics. Dr Māhina shares insights from his ongoing research on Tongan music and oral histories. He describes a unique sense of continuity which sound artefacts present for Tongan and Moana Oceania peoples, “Without sound we don’t have poetry, language, oratory, mythologies, genealogies, and so on. Sound is a running thread that entwines and intertwines a lot of things such as these art forms.” Listen to the 35-minute episode:
Dr Wendy Pond
In her episode, Dr Wendy Pond recalls a 1967 trip to Tonga by sailboat where, upon arrival, Dr Pond says she was embraced by a local dance community. “That was how I began to be an anthropologist making the recordings that are now in the Archive.” Listen to the 20-minute episode:
‘Ana Lātū
In addition to the podcasts, listen and sing along to the famous song ‘Ana Lātū, composed by Uaisēlē Taufa (‘Epalahame Uaisēlē) of Nomuka, Ha‘apai. The song, which is about love, loss and grief, is performed here in afo fakafa’ahikehe (minor tune, literally meaning ‘sound-of-a-different-side/order/being’, i.e., ‘side-of-death-and-the-dead’) by Kalapu Tau’ātāina in Nuku’alofa in 1965.
Find the lyrics in Tongan and English below.
Explore more
- Marking Indigeneity: the Tongan art of sociospatial relations by Tēvita O Ka’ili with foreword by Ōkusitino Māhina (2017)
- Reed book of Tongan proverbs = Ko e tohi ʻa e Reed ki he lea Tonga heliaki by ‘Ōkusitino Māhina (2004)
- Pigeon snaring arena at Vaolahi in the Kingdom of Tonga by Wendy Pond (2016)
- Tala e fonua: ko e ta’anga lakalaka (Country’s tradition) by Kaliopasi Fe’iloakitau Kaho Tupou Posesi Kaho and Wendy Pond (1987)
| Kupu/Veesi 1
Neu fanongo au mei amáKihe talanoa mei falevaká Tokua kuo vaivai a ‘Aná Pea to’o leva ‘eku me’afaná ‘Ou numinumi mo si’oku valá Pea u hopo ki tahi ‘o a’á
Kupu/Veesi 2 Tu’u hifo au ‘i Fale Ha’amoá ‘O sio ki Mango mo Tonumeá Ne hangē ha vaka ‘oku failā ‘Ae kite mai ‘a Kefikaná
Kupu/Veesi 3 He uoiau to’a vale ē Ho’o nofo ‘o tufi e vevé ‘Ikai teke ‘oho mai pē ‘O hangē ā ko Uaisēlē
Kupu/Veesi 4 He uoiau ‘Ana Lātū ‘Ana tauele kiate aú Si’eta fononga he ‘one’oné He na’a ta topuva’e taha pē Koe’uhi na’a ‘iloa koé Kae ‘ita ‘eku kau fefine
Kupu/Veesi 5 Ta’ahine ‘Ana tu’u ke ta ō ‘O ‘ai ho tekiteki hinganó Moho hāfuni fisi’i kahó Ne toki veuki ‘oka vaeuapō
Kupu/Veesi 6 ‘Ofa fau si’i nima ‘o ‘Aná He nima takai ’ema suluká ‘Oka ma ta‘utu he ‘ulutoá Fakamalumalu ha ‘aho la‘ā
Kupu/Veesi 7 Si’ota mohenga he pālaví He na’a ta fala kihe fataí ‘Oke tekiteki ai e huní Koe’uhi keu va’inga aí
Kupu/Veesi 8 Si’ota mohenga ‘i Hōfonú ‘Eta hala pālavi he likú Na’e viku ai ho tapaveú ‘I hono afuhi ‘ehe peau
Kupu/Veesi 9 Si’ota mohenga ‘i Matamaká Ne huhulu pulepule ē la‘ā Ho’o kali toloni ‘i hoku nima ‘O va’inga he’eku kaukavá
Kupu/Veesi 10 Si’ota mohenga ‘i Hā’olá ‘Oka fasi malu ha ‘aho la‘ā Pea to’oto’o si’eta laká He valevale ‘a hono patapatá
Kupu/Veesi 11 He loumaile ‘o ‘Āhaú Hangē ha fononga pale navú Si’ene nanivi kiate aú ‘Ana ē, ‘eku tali ha’o fotú
Kupu/Veesi 12 Koe helu ē koe mama ē Ko si’oto luosī fa’u ē ‘Atu ia keke ‘alu mo koé ‘O tauhi’ofa ‘aki mai pē
Kupu/Veesi 13 Kau tangatá, kau fefine Mou mātuku atu ‘o mohe Kae tuku keu ‘āfia pē He ko homa faka’osi pō ē |
Verse 1
I overheard from the outrigger Talks from the boathouse That ‘Ana was weakening I grabbed ahold of my speargun Folded up my outer garments And hopped into the sea
Verse 2 I stopped off at Fale Ha’amoa1 And gazed at Mango2 and Tonumea3 Like a flotilla with outstretched sails Kefikana4 appearing from afar
Verse 3 Oh yes only the foolhardy hero Remains and gathers garbage And not rushing in Like the way of Uaisēlē
Verse 4 Oh my beloved Ana Lātū ‘Ana how you’ve tempted me As we walked on the sand Our footprints became one So that you are not known And irritate my women
Verse 5 Lady ‘Ana arise and let us go Make a head flower of hingano And headband of fine kaho Only to be disturbed at mid-night
Verse 6 I so loved the hands of ‘Ana The hands that rolled our tobacco When we sat under the toa5 trees Taking shelter from the burning sun
Verse 7 Our lovely bed in the coastline Our mat, the soft leaves of fatai With the huni flower as your head ornament So that I may play with them
Verse 8 Our lovely bed at Hōfonu6 Where we walked along the cliff shores Where your outer wear got wet By the sprays of the breaking waves
Verse 9 Our treasured bed at Matamaka7 Where the sun shone in multi-colours My arm as your headrest As you play with my beard
Verse 10 Our most beautiful bed at Hā’ola8 The sun’s shades began to fall As we walked hastily along the beach On the smooth texture of its pebbles
Verse 11 The sweet-scented loumaile of ‘Āhau9 Like well-groomed travellers So pleasing they are to me Oh ‘Ana, will you ever show
Verse 12 Here‘s my comb, here‘s my ring Here‘s my head amour of sī leaves Wholly yielded to take with you As your beloved treasures of me
Verse 13 Dear men, dear women Take your leave, go and rest Allow me to mourn alone As tonight, is our final night |
1Name of fa’itoka/mala’e cemetery in Nomuka.
2Name of islands in ‘Otu Lulunga hihifo (west) of Ha’apai Islands.
3Name of uninhabited island in ‘Otu Mu’omu’a in Ha’apai Islands
4Name of reef in ‘Otu Mu’omu‘a in Ha’apai Islands.
5Casuarina or ironwood trees.
6An ‘apikolo (town allotment) belonging to Tāufatofua in the kolo fo’ou (new) village of Nomuka island, where Hōfonu was named after the fonu (turtles), the catching and fishing of which were one of the chief roles of Tāufatofua as a delicacy for the Tu’i Tonga; Tāufatofua of Tofua island, Fanualofanga of Lofanga island, and Kavamo’unga’one of Mo’unga’one island were the viceroys originally sent out by the Tu’i Ha’atakalau to Ha’apai Islands, collectively called ‘Otu Ha’apai to supervise and organise the affairs of the Hau for the Tu’i Tonga on the main island Tonga’eiki, Tongatapu, or Tongalahi.
7An ‘apikolo (town allotment) in the kolo fo’ou (new village) on the island of Nomuka.
8Hā’ola is short for Palalafa ‘o Hā’ola said to have originated from a performance art of faiva tautāpalalafa coconut-mid-rib-playing between a Sāmoan and Tāufa’āhau, who is also said to have tofikulu done with a hifofua one whole big blow cutting his head into two halves; the question thus asked following the match was, koe hā ‘ae ola (shortened as hā ola / hāola) what was the result/outcome? Tāufā’ahau was since nicknamed Hifofua, which is also commonly associated with the Tu’i Kanokupolu.
9Name of old village on Nomuka.
Huni Mancini, Cultural Collections Assistant, Archive of Māori and Pacific Sound, on behalf of Pacific Language Weeks kainga
References
‘Ana Lātū English translation by Hikule’o Fe’ao-Moe-Ako Melaia Māhina, Mele Ha’amoa Māhina ‘Alatini and Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe-Lotu, ‘Ōkusitino Māhina. From: Māhina, ‘Ō. (2019). ‘Koe Sio Fakatonga ‘ae Aati FakaTonga – Tongan Views of Tongan Arts: The Arts of John Webber.’ Visible (and Invisible) Voices presentation, Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tāmaki, 14 September 2019.
‘Ana Lātū performed by Kalapu Tau’atāina on 20 June 1965 at Tonga Broadcasting Commission in Nuku’alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga. Richard Moyle Tonga collection. 74/100.11, 17/001/603
Hero image: Dancers performing a lakalaka during the Coronation of King Tāufa’āhau Tupou IV celebrations at Mala’e Pangai, Nuku’alofa, Tonga in 1967. Photo by: Garth Rogers and Wendy Pond. Courtesy of the Anthropology Photographic Archive.