It’s Tongan Language Week in Aotearoa, and for the second year in a row it will be celebrated during lockdown due to Covid-19 restrictions across the country. The theme for this year’s Tongan Language Week celebration is ‘enriching Aotearoa with holistic education’. This year some young Tongans are keen to learn Tongan faiva or dances online.
Pukepuke ‘o Tonga, or ‘Uphold Tonga’, is the life mission of Sesilia Pusiaki Tatuila.
“I grew up around performances, and I ended up teaching at schools, community groups, young adults and any organisation that asked me to teach them,” Tatuila says.
The New Zealand-born Tongan is a descendant of Vili Pusiaki of Lapaha, a well-known punake, or master artist, from the Lomipeau group.
The legendary group performed many compositions by the late Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga and dates back to the 1920s. The vision of the punake was to uphold Tongan culture and teach the next generation in New Zealand so they know how to perform the traditional Tongan performances.
“The art of performance has been passed down from Vili Pusiaki to Tatuila to my father and his brothers and sisters and now us today.”
In 2012, Tatuila and her siblings revived Pukepuke ‘o Tonga in Aotearoa to bring back the Lomipeau performances.
“We noticed it was important to share with the students so they can go to their families and say, ‘Oh, this performance is about Sangone; this performance is about Nailasikau, the Lomipeau boat that carried the stones for the royal tombs,’” she says.
These stories from the past were about a time of manual work in building up collective living. There was no threat of a deadly virus like Covid-19.
Today the highly infectious coronavirus has forced people to stay home in their household bubbles to be safe. Tatuila decided to continue their work to preserve Tongan dance and music online.
One of the students, Mena Kautoke, enjoys the virtual class which runs once a week.
“I like Tongan performances because of the warm fellowship,” she says.
She is not alone; her sister Anastasia Kautoke joins in, and together they practise the actions.
“I enjoy Tongan performances so I know my Tongan culture.”
A proud moment for their father ‘Alani Kautoke, who says the Tongan faiva comes with wisdom.
“Our music and Tongan performances highlight our four Tongan values — respect, good relationships, loyalty and humility,” Kautoke says.
Another proud Dad is Sione Mann, who is encouraging other parents to do their part and hold on to the Tongan culture to keep it alive.
“Parents, caregivers in New Zealand should hold on to our Tongan language and customs and teach the children or it will be lost. I feel it’s important to hold on to our Tongan customs to enrich the lives of our children,” Mann says.
He has enrolled his two daughters, Messiah and Hezekiah, so they can connect with their Tongan roots.
Pukepuke ‘o Tonga online classes coincides with the school term calendar, and while students are learning from home, Tatuila says the Tongan faiva can enrich the next generation with cultural knowledge.
“Our performance is not just learning songs, dancing to a song; it brings out values of our Tongan culture, our customs, respect, listening, teamwork, keeping a good relationship with those things.”
