Momo (Tonga)

Momo (dt .: crumbs) was the tenth king of the Tuʻi Tonga dynasty in Tonga . Its name goes back to one of the ancient gods of Tonga, who belongs to the trinity Kohai, Koau, mo Momo . The Tongan Empire began to flourish under Momo's reign . He is said to have lived around 1100 AD. Stories about his life come mainly from the area of ​​myths and legends.

Momo had its seat in Heketā , at Niutōua ("double planted coconut trees"). The place got its name after a red and a white palm that sprout from the same root. His subjects were known as Haʻa-mene-ʻuli ("clan of filthy butts") because in honor of their king they always had to keep their head under his head and therefore crawled around on their butts instead of walking.

family

One day the king fell in love with a beautiful girl and sent his messenger, Lehaʻuli, to her father, Loʻau, the Tuʻi-Haʻamea (Haʻamea king) with the request that he send him a yam for his garden. Lo'au understood the real meaning of the request and replied that he could not help because one yam was not yet ripe and the other was already sprouting. (The younger daughter was still too young and the older daughter, Nua , already had a child and was therefore considered an old woman. - As soon as a yam begins to sprout, the tuber is no longer edible). Nua's husband was called Ngongokilitoto of Malapo , from the Ha'angongo clan.

Momo thought about it, then the next day he sent his messenger back to Lo'au with the message: "Fena kā ko Nua" (sprout, but it's still Nua). And so Lo'au had to go to Malapo and convince Ngongokilitoto that he would release his wife. They both really loved each other, but Momo was the Tuʻi Tonga. Nua became Momo's wife. Her son became the greatest of the Tuʻi Tonga at that time, Tuʻitātui . His older half-brother, Fasiʻapule, later became his confidante and co-regent.

Historical evaluation

It is not known where Ha'amea was. There are theories that on Tongatapu it was with Matangiake . The status of Lo'au cannot be precisely determined either, he may have been a petty prince. According to another version, the name is a variant of Ha'amoa ( Samoa ), which would mean that Lo'au was also a sovereign. So this tale could be a legend that can be traced back to an alliance between Tonga and Samoa.

predecessor	Office	successor
ʻAfulunga	Tuʻi Tonga around 1100	Tuʻitātui

literature

• Ian Christopher Campbell; Classical Tongan kingship; 1989.
• Elizabeth Bott; Tonga society at the time of Captain Cook's visit; 1982.
• ʻOkusitino Māhina: Images from the history and culture of Tonga. 2006.