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 (His Majesty King George Tupou V drinking his Coronation kava)
Below are some extracts from an Overview (of 35 pages) for a Possible Democracy Project in the Kingdom of Tonga by Phoenix Tas-Moanan Consultancy & Lo'au Research Society under the advice and consultation of some Parliamentarians from the Australian Federal Government and the Australian National University.
“Educational and Cultural Project on Democracy for the Kingdom of Tonga”“Polōseki Fakaako mo Angafakafonua ‘i he Pule’atokolahi΄ ma’ae Pule’anga Faka-Tu’i ‘o Tonga”
...Almost all important principles and values, tu’utu’uni mo e ‘ulungaanga mahu’inga, of Tongan culture, angafakafonua, and oral traditions, talatukufakaholo, were/are weaved, produced, reproduced, and kept, within the ‘Alofi ‘o e Kava, specifically in the Royal Kava, Taumafa Kava/Tala Hau, Chiefly Kava, ‘Ilo Kava/Tala ‘Alofi and Kava of Extended Family, Kava-‘a-Kāinga/Tala Fatongia. In particular, Taumafa Kava in its traditional form is a political core, uho fakamafaipule, and cultural essence, tefito’i angafakafonua, for power to rule in the Kingdom, Pule’anga Faka-Tu’i, differently from the present Government with its laws under a Constitutional Monarchy, Pule’anga Tu’i Fakakonīsitūtone.
Therefore, Tonga is currently ruled and controlled by two different forms of government, indirectly the Royal Kava, Taumafa Kava with its traditional Kingly Title of Tu’i Kanokupolu (Tu’i ‘o e ‘Otu Tonga) and customary rules, tu’utu’uni tukufakaholo, and directly the Constitutional Monarchy, Pule’anga Tu’i Fakakonīsitūtone with its Title, King George Tupou (V) or King Taufa’āhau Tupou (IV), Tu’i Fakakonīsitūtone.
The best case to exemplify the existence of these two forms of government in the Kingdom, the ancient and modern, is the customary and constitutional occasion of Coronation, Hilifaki Kalauni. For a Crown Prince to be traditionally and constitutionally legitimatized and recognised as the next successor to the Throne, he must be first of all installed in the Taumafa Kava (traditional Parliament) prior to the installation of the Crown, Kalauni, under the Constitutional Monarchy, Pule’anga Tu’i Fakakonīsitūtone and its Christian ethics, ’efika Faka-Kalisitiane.
With the former, he is installed under the Title, Tu’i Kanokupolu, King of Kanokupolu or Tu’i ‘o e ‘Otu Tonga generally, King of the Whole of Tonga, with all its Chiefly Lineages, Ha’a, and individual extended families, kāinga. The latter includes Tu’i Fakakonīsitūtone or King Taufa’ahau George Tupou (I, II, III, IV or V) and its power, pule, resting in the Constitution, Konīsitūtone, and the Crown, Kalauni. In other words, King George Tupou V who is the present Tu’i Fakakonīsitūtone is inside the total set of Tu’i Kanokupolu who is the Tu’i ‘o e ‘Otu Tonga.
This is the political core, uho fakamafaipule, and cultural essence, tefito’i angafakafonua of Tonga in which the traditional structure, fa’unga tukufakaholo, and constitutional power, pule fakakonīsitūtone, of the King are based and evolved around since the formation of the Tongan Constitutional Monarchy, Pule’anga Tu’i Fakakonīsitūtone, with its feudal aspect, anga fakafiutiolo, in 1875 by King Taufa’āhau George Tupou I, after over 50 years of civil war, tau fakalotofonua, from the late 18th to late 19th century.
Additionally, this is a continuity and revival of the ancient Royal Line of the Tu’i Tonga reign but under the guidance of Western Constitution and its Common Laws, Fono Fakafeangai, but with some feudal character, anga fakafiutiolo. So, Tonga has been a Kingdom for over thousand years despite the changes in the Kingly Titles and Lineages during the transition from traditional to modern society in the nineteenth century. The current change for democracy, pule’atokolahi, has nothing to do with, and no interest at all in, the traditional structure, fa’unga tukufakaholo, of the King of Kanokupolu, Tu’i Kanokupolu, or King of the Whole of Tonga, Tu’i ‘o e ‘Otu Tonga, but only in the situation of Tu’i ‘o e Pule’anga Fakakonīsitūtone or King George Tupou V with its Constitution and Kalauni, Crown.
The Pro-democracy Movement, and its political factions, has therefore overlooked the fact that the political core, uho fakamafaipule and cultural essence, tefito’i angafakafonua, of the Kingdom are rooted within the Tu’i ‘o e ‘Otu Tonga, which is based on the Taumafa Kava, the ancient Parliament of Tonga. This encompasses the amalgamated nature of the two forms of government, in which the Constitutional Monarchy rules the whole nation in accordance to the British Westminster System, Founga Uesiminista ‘a Pilitānia and its Common Laws, Fono Angafaka’aho, whereas the traditional structure controls people through Chiefly lineages, Ha’a, and Extended Family system, Kainga or Fa’ahinga.
From the CCDPT’s stance, this Project is not a kind of intervention, kaunoa, in the sovereignty, tau’atāina, of the Kingdom, under its Constitutional Monarchy, Pule’anga Tu’i Fakakonīsitūtone, traditional authority, mafai tukufakaholo, and International Laws, Fono Fakavaha’apule’anga, of the United Nations Organization, Pule’anga Fakatahataha-‘a-Māmani.
Without conducting such a similar kind of Polōseki, the Kingdom is most likely to end up, due to its highly stratified system of Royal and Chiefly characters, with the two forms of ruling order, encompassing the continuing and increasing complications of modern life and globalisation, in creating another Fiji. So, what is then the unified theme, akonaki fakalūkufua, for this Polōseki that may be used to direct the materialization of its vavanga in concrete form, fuo fakasino, together with the two principal statements, pupunga’ilea tefīto and uho-fuo?
Currently, it is called: “Kava Circle for Democracy in the Kingdom of Tonga: Men and Women Culture” OR
“’Alofi ‘o e Kava ma’ae Pule’atokolahi ‘i he Pule’anga Faka-Tu’i ‘o Tonga: Angafakafonua ‘a Tangata mo Fafine”
The key concepts for this unified theme, akonaki, and subject-matter, uho-fuo are Kava, men, tangata, women, fafine, Circle, ‘Alofi, democracy, pule’atokolahi, culture, angafakafonua, and Kingdom of Tonga, Pule’anga Faka-Tu’i ‘o Tonga. In this Summary, I have defined and explained some of them just to help in unfolding their importance for the task in hand. The rest will be fully discussed in the Project Proposal, Fokotu’ukaukau Polōseki.
In the scheme of things, when a Tongan talks about Kava, the word ‘Alofi or fuopotopoto (roundness/circle) is automatically inhered in its whole characters, together with the notion of circular form, fuo takai (other words for Kava are Fonua and Lo’au, especially the Royal Kava). ‘Alofi ‘o e Kava in this context should not be confused with Tala ‘Alofi, Tradition of Circle, which is the other official and traditional name for ‘Ilo Kava ‘a Hou’eiki, Chiefly Kava. However, ‘Alofi ‘o e Kava is contextually hereby alluded to fuopotopoto, circle, or fuo takai, circular form. Circle/Roundness, fuopotopoto, is the chiefly character in this respect with its interconnected form, fuo fehokotaki, and the spirit of interconnection and interdependence between, or among, aone another (i.e. chiefs and their spokesmen)....
* (The other 35 pages will be fully published when this project is up and run)
Ha'a Ngata (Ngata Lineage) with the traditional duty of making the kava beverage for the Royal Kava/Taumafa Kava - this was the Taumafa Kava for the Coronation of King George Tupou V in 2008.
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