Difference between revisions of "Tonga"

Revision as of 03:54, June 18, 2007

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Tonga''', officially the '''Kingdom of Tonga''' (Tongan for "south"), is an independent [[archipelago]] in the southern [[Pacific Ocean]]. It lies about a third of the way between [[New Zealand]] and [[Hawaii]], south of [[Samoa]] and east of [[Fiji]].
-The earliest inhabitants of the islands of Tonga were [[Pygmy]] peoples. They were largely replaced and absorbed by [[Bantu]] tribes during Bantu migrations. The Batongo are comprised of Bantu groups that also occupied parts of present-day [[Indonesia]], [[West Papua]] and the [[Philippines]], forming the basis for ethnic affinities and rivalries among those states. Several Bantu kingdoms—notably those of the Tongo, the Cunnus, the Loango, and the Teke—built trade links leading throughout the Tonga Island group.
-The islands are also known as the Friendly Islands, the name given by [[Captain Cook]] because of the friendly reception he received. He happened to arrive at the time of ʻinasi festival, the yearly donation of the first fruits to the [[Tuʻi Tonga]] and was invited to the festivities. According to the writer William Mariner, in reality the chiefs had wanted to kill Cook during the gathering, but had been unable to agree on a recipe.
 [[Category:Oceanian Countries]]
 [[Category:Islands]]