me me me...

Calm down, dude. Did you miss the smiley at the end of Arthur's post?

Where's Eddie Murphy?

I didn't know Tonga was a monarchy.
The only thing I know about Tonga is that they play rugby. Their national team is 13th of the International Rugby Board classification. And during the 2007 World Cup, they beat the US ;-)

As a vegan, I don't care if they want to have pigs in the pics.

Face it you militant vegetarians and vegans. People eat meat. We don't. That does not mean we have to be a pain in the ass about it.

The picture with pages holding his long train offends my democratic sensibilities though.

Unlike the previous post on the conflict in Georgia, I probably would have preferred this one to be more images from the Olympics. Maybe you're saving them up for one big, amazing post once they've closed?

Who cares what you prefer?

"It's good to be the King..." :)))
Impressive photos.

Alex
http://www.recentnews.co.uk

Again, thank you. Great images.

http://www.photodunski.com

I visited Tonga in 1978...my daughter was in the Peace Corps. I was warmly welcomed and sent home at the end of the stay with two wall size tapa cloths that I treasure. Wonderful memories of these kind people.

The images are most striking to me in their portrayal of European influence on this island monarchy. Has Tonga had a king for thousands of years? Was the nation stapled together from a bunch of local chiefdoms in the colonial era and this chief's family was chosen to be the "King" following the British model? He's got the purple robe, the crown, the Rolls limo--it's to laugh when juxtaposed with woven grass garb and 100 sacrificed pigs. To me, there's much richer heritage -there- than there is in the goofy overhot military garb everyone's bedecked in.

I was also struck by the number of obese people in these photographs. All of the men look so similar in that regard.

The Olympics have started?

concur with #3 post 'click to view' would have been much thoughtfull

Hey Frenchie, rugby? Who cares, let's talk some Olympic swimming, eh??? ;-)

Ah, we digress...

How's the surf in Tonga?

Bad day for pigs.

Jayson, you may think that Tongans are chunky but they are amazingly athletic. I've never seen such gifted athletes as the Tongans and Somoans even when they look out of shape.

http://www.letutor.com

Picture 5....Those are the biggest "children" I have ever seen.

This cerimony is the opitomy of of pompus self indulgance. $2.5m would have gone a long way to improving the day to day lives of many of Tonga's citizens loads of whom are unemployed and live below the poverty line. Nice photos mind you!

Viva la Repuplic!

Tonga! Tonga! Toga! Toga!

Author is a tool.

Silly boys...

How does seeing a picture of a pig on a spit violate your eating habits, Arthur? Don't be such a bigot.

Wow dude, is that like a solid gold bench he is sitting on? Dang, that dudes livin large!

JT
www.FireMe.to/udi

I believe the propensity towards obesity seen in many of the indigenous peoples of the South Pacific has to do with their genetics.and the increasingly global culture. Just as scores of colonial-era pacific islanders were killed off by common Western diseases for which their bodies had no immune response in centuries past, so now are their bodies similarly ill-equipped to ingest Western food products and dietary additives which have increasingly permeated their markets and everyday lives.

The people of Tonga are much better than other places in the world.

However they will be wondering how a religious leader like the one in Europe become a political leader as we saw in the pope and he affect the rest of the religious site by doing things that belong to political people. People leave politic to politic people.

I hope he enjoyed the pig meat.

Some answers:

1. The surf isn't all that great - there are few real beaches. The scuba diving, however, is world class.

2. Tonga was a kingdom before the Europeans arrived. The have ancient burial sites for their kings in Pangai, Ha 'api (an island group in the middle of Tonga). Quite famous actually.

3. The Tongans may be obese today. However, it was not always so. It was the introduction of European food that has been their primary issue. However, the polynesians in general mastered the art of gorge and get fat for long sea voyages.

4. It's unfortunate that few people know much about the Tongans. The polynesians, and Tongans very much so from my perspective, are among the most loving and sharing people in the world. They are great.

Where is the Tongan Ninja when you need him?

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Look at all that future BACON!!!!!
Lucky!!!!

http://www.1plus0.com

@Ericson (#15)—Finally, someone said it. I'm neither a vegan nor a vegetarian and still, the vast amount of dead meat in the "pigs pic" was a bit disturbing to me, though. But people trying to convince me all day long, that my eating habits would be just plain wrong makes want to grab a nice porterhouse.

That aside—I love this blog. Every single issue is just simply stunning! Thanks for the effort.

Pat Morita is the New King of Tonga? go Figure

Well, the pig picture was okay, but the one below it was offensive. As an electrician, I object to the glorification of fire that is used for illumination.

i was in tonga when the king died in 2006 and it was quite interesting.

just about everyone dressed in black (and was going to do so for weeks even after i left), almost all restaurants and bars were closed on the island i was on (vava'u) for a few days, and when they reopened there were to play no music at all - just hymns - and the fronts of almost all businesses and restaurants were draped in black and purple.

when it came time for us to fly from vava'u to nuka'lofa to catch a plane back to new zealand we got a phone call the night before at about 11pm to tell us that we had gotten bumped from our flight and put on an earlier flight because anyone who was going for the funeral got priority on any mode of transportation.

and yes, tongans are some of the biggest (tallest) people i have ever been around in my whole entire life.

#38: You've apparently only been to Tongatapu. There are excellent beaches on Vava'u and especially the Ha'apai group. They are very hard to get to, granted.
#21: Yes, when I was there (Australian Volunteers Abroad) in 1990-91 I was struck at how some of those photos have absolutely zero evidence of Polynesia. In a nutshell (and working from memory), Taufa'ahau Tupou I was what was known as the Tui (King) Kanokupolu, a sort of Prime Minister to the second king (the Tui Ha'atakala'au) and first king (Tui Tonga). The missionaries arrived, brining their message of love from far off Europe. The Tui Kanokupolu saw his chance, converted to Christianity and was showered with muskets by God, then used them to overthrow the Tui Tonga and Tui Ha'atakala'au, slaughtering their followers in the process.
To keep the Europeans at bay, he created himself a King in the European mold, hence all the regalia. To keep the other Tongan chiefs at bay, he create 33 (from memory) nobles, which he awarded to these other big shots.
Tonga now is a very sad place. The current King is up to his eyeballs in corruption, as is most of the ruling class (the 'nobles).

I've been fortunate to have several Tongans on my rugby team. To a person they've been big, strong, and genial people. Most have played division I football for US colleges and a few made bowl appearances but you can see that rugby is their passion. If you ever have the opportunity to engage a Tongan national in conversation I highly recommend it. Their culture is very interesting and their customs (i.e. pig roasts) are to die for.

Togan are not fat.. they are genetically big people.. some famous togan you might know.. the rock has Togan blood, that guy from American Gladiator, my college roomate's niece is half Togan she's big and strong.. these people are not obese, they are strong people.

click here for the pigs, what a douche

As usual, the big picture delivers -- great photos.

Is it just me or is that some blinding cyan fringing / chromatic aberration in the first photo? (Window in the top left corner.)

These are beautiful pictures of Tonja.Thanks for sharing them.

"This cerimony is the opitomy of of pompus self indulgance. $2.5m would have gone a long way to improving the day to day lives of many of Tonga's citizens"

Hm... And how much did our candidates spend on their presidential campaigns? That's *real* waste. We could have used that money here in the U.S. for spelling classes for folks like yourself. :)

Another fantastic set of pictures - particularly like the car - I think a Humber Pullman from the UK.

http://www.mattrutherford.com

Another excellent set of pictures, particularly like the HUmber Pullman (I think) - an old car from the UK.

http://www.mattrutherford.com

Dan, I think the window in the first pic is an out of focus stain glass window...

... and regarding the pigs... is it safe to assume most people think pictures of dead pigs and dead people are vastly different things? Both are mammals afterall...

I think it's incredible the way they celebrate with such enthusiasm their country, their King, their heritage! I have a friend here in Seattle who is from Tonga and she flew back home just to be there for this Coronation. I think that's cool! :o)

My rugby coach was Tongan and his Pig Roast was a feast for all. A free feast for all, not to mention the obscene drinking (but that's more to do with the rugby). They can eat and drink like nothing I've ever seen, and as someone said, they are just built big, heavy, strong and generally good people. Of the 3 Tongans I know they all played Division 1 football and ended up going back to rugby. They may live below some arbitrary poverty line, but they also have natural resources they can live off of. If someone is a substinance farmer and fisherman they live below that line but eat better than most people you know.

Lesson: Meet a Tongan, and you'll know what they're about.

Also, I'm a meat-atarian. Could we please add links to all pictures with flowers and veggies, it makes me ill. . . . thanks.

You spelled "bachelor" wrong on pic 6

Thanks for the lovely pictures.

There is a saying: "You do not know Tonga if you have not visit the Country". So come and visit and find out more about the monarch, the people, the roast pork etc.

As you are aware: "What is applicable in one situation may not be relevant in another". So do not judge by the cover, come and see Tonga for yourself.

im very excied that we have a king in the island of TONGA again........TONGA is the most beautiful place ever!!!!!!! Thats my home town.........

You'd think with all that bling he would have paid the photog to photoshop him some whiter teeth. Looks like a great installation - old school.

Its quite sad, yet interesting, how they've superseded their own coronation traditions with those of Britain.

where is tonga ?

At what point did the king break into 'Minnie the Moocher'?

Tongans were known to be the "Vikings of the South Seas". Captain James Cook also named the island group "The Friendly Islands". Tonga is where time begins, it receives the first sunrise of each day.

Malo

#43 LouRob, that was a great comment. I almost choked on the pork chop I was eating. Maybe I should turn on a light.

Seriously, can we stop getting into vegetarian vs meat-eater fights. Try talking about the messages in the pictures or their composition.

In November of 1967 and January of 1968, the first groups of US Peace Corps Volunteers arrived in Tonga. They generally were to serve in agriculture, teaching science, sanitation and prenatal health care. Volunteers arrived haveing had about 10 weeks of training in Molikai Hawaii and with a working knowledge of the Tongan Language; spoken then by about 110,000 in the world. The Tongans welcomed Peace Corps Volunteers with great excitement and generosity. For white people to come and live in a village, speak their language, eat their food and support themselves on US$27 per month was considered a great honor and they loved the volunteers and loved America. In villages there was no electricity nor running water and all lived in thatched huts. They could not understand how we could have killed our president. Everyone know about JFK. The Vietnam war was raging and at least one volunteer was drafted and sent to Vietnam. The Peace Corps is still in Tonga making friends of Americans. I encourage those who know nothing of Tonga to learn about it. People find what they seek. Help us seek peace, not war: to consider straners potential friends, not potential enemies; to act out of thankfulness and generosity, not of fear and selfishness. We will find what we seek. People do not start wars, political leaders start wars. I have experience in war and in peace. Beleive me, war is not good. Please learn about the Tongan culture.( It is easy to do on the internet.) You will see so much more in these photos.

As a member of the gay civil liberty rights, I applaud the king of Tonga for turning his back on the Tongan culture and displaying the embodiement of the person that he really is.

Of course he never wanted to marry a woman! And since his countrymen would never accept same sex amrriages, he had no alternative but to remain a "Batchelor" as the press put it.

His conronation outfit was splendidly crafted, typical of the European Aristocracy of the 1700's. Obviously the man knows whats good and has the taste to prove it.

But since Tonga is a British colony (it must be, from looking at all the UK traditions adopted there) why hasn't the rest of the country also adpoted British tradition?

I mean look at those school children dancing around with hardly any clothes on...and wearing just grass skits ! Maybe it was a special request by the king as thats what their king likes....but I thought it was a bit out of place in amongst all the romp and pomp.

I thoroughly loved the old style military uniforms from the UK, now I know where they all went after the first world war! Tonga must have a museum full of British stuff. Probably true as I hear the king loves military uniforms and our old taxi cabs from London. I saw a pic of him in one, he looked so cute in it.

I'm sure now that he has been crowned, he will change the laws and introduce civil liberties for gays.

Thanks for the lovely pictures.
http://www.5778.com

The vegetables makes me ill.... please add link to them.

Cheers!

Great Blog!

A sad day for Tonga... HRH's grandmother will turning in her grave. He is so removed from the tongan people it's sad. The islands and the people have become just another one of his toys.

#67 Tonga was never colonize by any country. We were a monarch way before the European arrived in the South Pacific.

And I agree Tonga were built to be solid and strong not obese. Yes the introduction of European Food that causes this issue (obesity). So to know more about Tonga take a trip over there and you find out it is one of the amazing place in the world. Famous for it's white sandy beaches and it's friendly people.

Malo

#71 Tonga not a British colony you say??
I beg to differ with you. Have a good look at your king, his lifestyle and the coronation. Its all British. Right down to your national anthem which is so similar to the Britsh national anthem which was written hundreds of years prior to the Tongan one. Golden Scepters, crowns, thrones and military uniforms. I swore that I was in the UK while watching it.

You are incorrect about Tonga having a monarchy before the "Europeans Arrived".

If you read post number #45 it gives a bit of history of Tonga, and how they were at war with each other until the eurpoeans arrived, gave them peace and then they copied the British Monarchy making them selves a king and a realm of nobles and then everyone else become commoners....just like England of olde times.

Before the misionaries, Tongans were not even a country, they were seperated into 3 seperate groups and wared against each other, they never had a king, a constitition, a government or a flag.

Now they are completely British, right down to their religion and 3 class system (Royality, Nobles and Commoners)...and the king endorses this by intergrating the British culture into his Tongan life as we saw during the coronation.

In fact, i read that Tonga has (apart from the English Language) 3 Tongan languages. One spoken by the Royals, one language spoken by the nobles and the rest of the people are the commoners, speak a lower class of language. If this is not the old Britsh system from the 1800's...I don't know what is!!

Is it true that one reason the king never married, was because he had to marry only Royal blood, and that meant he had to marry his own cousin?? Or is it true that the reason he never marrried is that he is gay? I have read and heard both stories.

god.... its so impressive how ignorant people can be... I address this to lucy at post #67...

nice photo you have here.i want to see more

The King loves "Cuban" music. My husband just got back from the Kings Coronation in Tonga. He and his band " Tito y su son de Cuba" were invited to play Cuban music for the King"s after party!! He said the people were amazingly nice and so friendly. He did notice that the population in general was very young. The life expectency is only around 50 or 55 years (hope that's correct information) . By the way he said the pig was delish!!!

Not sure what aspect of post #67's comments you were referring to as “ignorant” but I have no doubt the new king is gay. He has openly embraced that lifestyle and for decades has defied attempts by his parents and countless others to “conform.” It will be interesting to see how many changes in the “civil liberties for gays” arena actually take place in the near future, given the fact that he . . . “is voluntarily surrendering his powers to meet the democratic aspirations of many of his people” and promised to “cede most power to a prime minister, and to hold parliamentary elections in 2010.” I can’t see the general Tongan population embracing it, but you never know. And just who is that prime minister he’s going to cede the power to? Does he get to appoint him? Hmmm. . . . this could really be interesting.

Having lived there in my youth, Tonga will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s true what other posters have said, Tongans are some of the most friendly, giving people in the world.

seems like a joke,
is this for real?

What part seems like a joke to you?

I think the official term is former protectorate, not colony.

There obviously wasn't much value in the islands...that the english saw worth exploiting anyways.

The Former Queen and grandmother of the current ruler was grand broad. To some extent her son the former king was a non event. Now this clown is a complete joke. His reign sums up the phrase "smash and grab" like no other in the kingdoms brief history.

and why is it strange to see indigenous people performing a traditional dance????

God save the King!!!!

Gargantuesque...!

the kind doest looks happy =(
why?

My sister married a tongan fellow and lived in Tonga for over 30 years, I agree the Tongans are extremely friendly and welcoming people, but try not to idealise them too much. They are quite capable of the same ruthlessness and aggression as any other group of Homo sapiens. Their diet is extremely bad, with an pronounced affinity for the very fatty and salt laden canned beef and Spam products. They are indeed quite obese in general, with all the associated health problems(high blood pressure, rampant diabetes, etc., etc.). If you look at some very old pictures of Tongans, when they were still mainly eating their native diet, they appear quite trim and healthy. As for their general society, they are a male dominated society, with all land within a family handed down to the eldest son. As my sister discovered when she went through her divorce of her Tongan husband of 30 years, she was left with essentially nothing, the courts being stacked with male judges who definitely still observe these societal customs. Hopefully some of these more gender biased customs will dissapear with time. They are highly religious people, and attending their church services is a fun occasion, since they sing with unbridled enthusiasm and cheerfulness. Changing the subject, I was a vegan for part of my life due to health reasons, and I could never become accustomed to a kind of self righteousness that vegetarians in general have. Just remember that when you eat those nuts, your are eating a living fetus and harvesting a carrot destroys a living entity. Does the fact that the fruit or vegetable isn't soft and cuddly or can't audibly scream when it is killed make them easier to eat? Who are you to say that ending a plant's life is less cruel than ending an animal's life? Do you think you are a god that can determine which life force is valuable and which isn't? Get off yourselves and get back to reality and tolerance.

its nice to see da people ov tonga..but as a tongan girl..im not going to praise and worship the new king...for he has not done nefing for the people...of tonga bt use their money

Heya malo o pito for the pics and story. I was very inspired and touched. My Tongan people are such a beautiful peoples and i can't wait to build on my land back home!!!.....ofa atu's 2 all my sisters and bro's. By the way , check out my page @ http://myspace.com/unitednationz315 . I am a very proud and prideful artist and Tongan. Alu a , eh!

After reading all the comments about Tonga and the King's coronation,yes everyone is entitle to his or her own opinion of Tonga as a country,the people,culture,food and traditions.But as a Tongan who was raised in Tonga and later moved abroad,I'M still proud of my country ,roots and heritage.Obviously we can't compare Tonga with New Zealand,Australia,US or Great Britain.TONGA is a small third world country with only a100,000+[population].with a doner drive economy.In the world today,even in the past every country leads by people[human]and human have weaknesses or[ [imperfect].How can one says to another''I'm better than you while we each of us have monkeys on our back that needed shaken off'.I love myTONGA'.[i HAVEN'T SEEN A HUMAN WALK ON WATER YET.]

donde pollas esta tonga?

I am glad to read how other countries see my homeland.

Whatever you think or feel for us, we love you coz God create all of us and bless us with vast different talents.

Tonga has their sorrows, opportunities, challenges, etc..... as many of you faces in your own country which are differ in some ways to us. Please don't ask us to hate others for your sake. If you want us to hate you for your comments, do it in person and you will find out more than you could bargain for on earth.

God Bless us all.

'Ofa atu from The Kingdom of Tonga.

well, everyone have their say some are reasonable and some are out of order. first of all who cares what you all think, lots of things out there you should worried about(war,terrorist,hunger,poor etc}. at least people of tonga are happy and live in peace always plenty on their plates. those who against the pigs. pic.please is much better than the chickens in all those western countries they feeds them in 2 weeks then they ready to be kill and sell in the supermakets. those who says things about tonga and there culture, please...at least they have, what is yours? the king is not gay! he has children. he has his own personal reason for not married and everyone should respect that and stop spreading second hand rumours. well, we can't change the world but we can change ourselves we just have to look deep down and find the best in each of us, may be we see the world in a diff way. god bless you all. PEACE.

who is the next heir to the throne?

helo the king looks hawtt

THE LARGEST PEOPLE KNOWN TO MAN KIND.....

congradulation 2 da new king...
poor pigs........
fanx 4 da lovly pictures

malo and fanx 4 da picture's
long live da king...
yummy pigs....

There should be a link on da Pigs as "Click here to eat it."

Lucky chap the king ...!

Malo e lelei to all my dear friends in Tonga!

The Kingdom of Tonga is well known as the friendly islands! They are up north New Zealand, near Fiji and the Solomon Islands, in Polinesia.

I wish a lot of peace and success to the king and the people of Tonga in that beautiful and friendly place. Your identity and your traditions must prevail in these times of change.

Much respect to you all.

Kia Ora,and Malo e Lelei

I JUS WANA SAY HELLO TO EVERYONE IN TONGA.....KINGDOM OF TONGA IS ARE BEAUTIFUL AND FRIENDLY ISLANDS.......

LONG LIVE DAH KING OF ALL KING

ALL DAH PICYURE LOOKS HOTTTTTTTTT MAN

KINGDOM OF TONGA IS DAH BEST

2.5 millions in a coronation? Well, i do realy like monarchy, but this is exaggeration.

RE: #72 as posted by lucy
Do you even know what the Taumafa Kava Ceremony is? That particular ceremony is the TRADITIONAL Tongan method of recognising their King. This ceremony was performed BEFORE the the church coronation ceremony. Perhaps you should do some further research before alleging that the King and the Tongan people abandoned all their own traditions. They also performed many traditional Tongan dances, played a commemorative rugby match and of course enacted the Taumafa Kava Ceremony.

Personally, I believe that the lavish palangi (British) ceremony was an attempt to showcase Tonga as being modern and Western, able to adapt while maintaining significant cultural ideas and traditions.

The king of tonga isw cool.

The king of tonga isw cool.

I AM HIGHLY IMPRESSED BY THIS SMALL NATION. AND WHAT TO BE THE CTIZEN OF THIS GREAT COUNTRY.

MALO E LELEI, LONG LIVE THE KING OF TONGA. Kia moutolu Tonga ,Ofa ke mou mau ha katoanga fiefie,moha mo'uife'ofo'ofani 'i tongana From.Sione T Ofakineiafu

I LUV TONGA !!!

To be honest Tonga is a country of great excellence. Many people strive to preserve their cultural traditions in tonga, and succed. I strongly believe that my cultural background and nationality has contributed to my development as a person individually, spiritually and socially.

Tonga is where my heart lies.
P.s. if you do not have any positive criticsm then your better off saying nothing at all!

MESSAGE NO.102.MUST BE READ AS 'I WANT TO BE THE CITIZEN .SORRY FOR TYPING MISTAKE

Ok.

The King of Tonga has not been confirmed to be gay at all. HM the King does have an illegitimate daughter as highlighted in the below link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Ilima_Lei_Tohi

He cannot acknowledge her as his heir as in Tongan culture the mother carries th social ranking, and as her mother was a commoner she is nothing.

HM's heir is his younger brother.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Aho%27eitu_%27Unuaki%27otonga_Tuku%27aho

The throne used during the coronation was not solid gold, it was painted and was a gift from China. The $2.5 million dollars was not bad considering it covered a week of celebrations including hosting several foreign dignitaries and their entourages. There are way more excesses in Western Society that overshadow anything Tonga could do.

The Tongan royal family do use the British style of royalty to lend some esteem to their institution internationally. They still very much hold onto their tradional culture and traditions.

In regards to the 3 languages...it is not unusual for Pacific Island cultures to have tiered speaking abilities. Generally those of the ruling class with different education and knowledge have a higher language, those who speak publically in formal gatherings (speaking chiefs and priests - traditional not christian have a different style, and the every day language with it's idiosyncracies are used by the general populace.

Tonga will achieve reform to lessen the influence of it's ruling class. This however needs to be measured and actioned in an appropriate timeframe and should be driven from within.

Tonga Be Da Bomb!

Mate Ma'a Tonga!

May the love of God.Watching over you days and night while you rulerling our smallest Island of the world.The lovely Tonga .Even we here in America but we never forget where we come from.May Gods keeps you under his care until we meet again. Lots lots of love .

the archbishop looks a lot like James Earl Jones...

nice pictures, life 2short to behatin.