Tuitatui

Tuʻitātui (also: Tuʻi-tā-tui , dt .: "The king who hits the knee") was the 11th king of the Tuʻi Tonga dynasty in Tonga . He is said to have lived around 1100 AD. Stories about his life come mainly from the area of ​​myths and legends.

Heketā

According to the legend, Tuʻitātui, like his father Momo , held court in Heketā (dt. Lame beaten), near Niutoua on Tongatapu . There he built the Haʻamonga-ʻa-Maui as an entrance to the royal court . From which a path led about 50 m to the raised ʻesi maka fākinanga (stone to lean on), where the king sat, protected from attacks from behind. It is said that Tuʻitātui was a tall, strong man who easily wielded a large staff as if it were nothing. He hit anyone on the knee who came too close. This also corresponds to a new arrangement of the kavak circle (a formal meeting of the chiefs) in which the king sat somewhat apart from the others.

Tuʻitātui are also attributed the oldest Langi (tombs): Langi Heketā and Langi Moʻungalafa (where four of his children were buried). In addition, a sports field for the game sikaʻulutoa (bamboo dropping ) is attributed to him.

Domination

In addition to the Tongan Empire , Tuʻitātui inherited the position of chief (minister) of Loʻau from his father-in-law. Together they carried out land and social reforms, rebuilt the Privy Council (Fale Fā, House of Four ) and strengthened it and the old royal advisors and guardians of the Tuʻi Tonga . Tuʻitātui removed Matakehe and Tuʻifolaha from the Fale Fā and replaced them with Tuʻitalau and Tuʻiʻamanave from Talau on the island of Vavaʻu in the north.

A legend also reports that Tuʻitātui did not know that he had an older stepbrother. Fasiʻapule introduced himself to him by presenting Tuʻitātui riddles. The king was impressed by this and made Fasi'apule a leader.

Sāngone

A legend tells of Tuʻitātui's pet, a turtle named Sangone . One day a Samoan named Lekapai stole the turtle and ate it. When Fasi'apule came to Savai'i with a rescue team, only the tank was left, buried in a secret place and guarded by the dwarf Lafaipana . Only when Fasi'apule had proven that his mind was sharper than the Lafaipanas and had solved several puzzles, could he get the tank and take it with him to Tonga. This story could be related to a revolt in Samoa by the Chiefs Lekapai and Lafaipana, which was broken up by Loʻau Tuputoka and Fasiʻapule. Tongan kings ruled Sāmoa for generations.

Well

One day Tuʻitātui came to the windward side of the island of ʻEueiki , where he saw a woman with her legs in the sea. For a while he couldn't decide whether she was human or an evil spirit, but after some discussion and puzzling, he decided that she was human and asked her to come to Olotele, a residence of the Tu'i Tonga. She then gave her name, " Nua, " and agreed to go with the king.

Nua bore three sons to Tuʻitātui : Uanga , ʻAfulunga and Sina , and the daughter Fatafehi . Uanga built Langi Leka , the first Langi in Mu'a, and also moved the royal court there after the death of his father.

End of life

Tuʻitātui had several large houses in Heketā with raised platforms called fata made of fehi wood. These were therefore called fatafehi and the word took on the meaning of a royal name in Tonga; a Fatafehi , for example, was the king's daughter.

One day the king climbed one of these platforms and called his “sister”, Lātūtama : “Oh, there are big ships coming, probably from Ha'apai .” “A lie!” Replied his sister. "No lie, come up and see for yourself. It's a big fleet, 1, 2, 5, not 100 boats I think," replied the king. The woman went up, but nothing was to be seen. But the king grabbed her and raped her, knowing that no one could see her. But Lātūtama's servants saw drops of blood and asked what it was. Tuʻitātui replied: “Oh, it comes from a fruit bat .” The place is still called Toipeka (blood splatter of the peka - flying fox ). But Lātūtama's brothers were beside themselves when they heard this, and they swore to kill the king. Tu'itātui fled to 'Eua , but he did not escape his fate.

In the meantime, Fasiʻapule was returning from Fiji , and when he heard that Tuʻitātui was in ʻEua, he went there by canoe with a man from Fiji. They were guided by a strange light and when they arrived it was revealed that they were the funeral oracles of the dead king. Fasiʻapule then killed his companion, replaced the body of Tuʻitātui with him and smuggled the body away. As he approached Tongatapu, he stopped on one of the outer islands. At that time this was named Motutapu ( Holy Island ) because it had served as a resting place for the Tuʻi Tonga. From there, Fasi'apule drove on to Malapo . There the night overtook them and the procession had to rest on an island in the lagoon, near Folaha . This island is still called Mo'ungatapu ( Holy Mountain ) today. The next day the train reached Malapo, where Tuʻitātui's mother's clan, the Haʻangongo , took care of the body.

Various places claim the tomb of Tuʻitātui, such as Muʻa and ʻUiha . In the southeast of ʻUiha an old tomb is shown with the bones of a great man believed to be Tuʻitātui. Further claims will be made by ʻOtu Motu Kinekina .

predecessor	Office	successor
Momo	Tuʻi Tonga around 1100	Talatama

literature

• Ian Christopher Campbell: Classical Tongan kingship. 1989.
• Elizabeth Bott: Tonga society at the time of Captain Cook's visit. 1982.
• ʻOkusitino Māhina: Ko e ngaahi ʻata mei he histōlia mo e kalatua ʻo Tongá: Ke tUFaʻi ha lea Tonga fakaako. 2006, ISBN 978-0-908959-09-9 .
• Edward Winslow Gifford (1887-1959): Tongan myths and tales. BPB bulletin, 8, 1924.