World History
History of Tonga. This is a good essay which covers the history of the Oceania island nation of Tonga.
Wikipedia notes that, "The Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean, about a third of the way between New Zealand and Hawaii. It lies south of Samoa and east of Fiji."
One fact I learned from this essay is that Tonga was active in World War Two. In addition to hosting allied troops, over 2000 Tongan troops saw action in the Solomon Islands. Considering the size of Tonga, this represents a huge investment in the war!
From the site:
The word Tonga means "south" in numerous Polynesian languages. Some scholars believe the inhabitants originally came from the islands now known as Samoa. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Tonga islands have been settled since at least 500 B.C., and local traditions have carefully preserved the names of the Tongan sovereign for about 1,000 years. The power of the Tongan monarchy reached its height in the 13th century. At the time, chieftains exercised political influence as far away as Samoa.
During the 14th century, the King of Tonga delegated much of his temporal power to a brother while retaining the spiritual authority. Sometime later, this process was repeated by the second royal line, thus resulting in three distinct lines: the Tu'i Tonga with spiritual authority, which is believed to have extended over much of Polynesia; the Tu'i Ha'atakalaua; and the Tu'i Kanokupolu. The latter two had temporal authority for carrying out much of the day-to-day administration of the kingdom.
- What Is Oceania?
Oceania is a term often used to describe a large part of the world in the Pacific. I use Oceania as a label at this blog for some posts. However, I have been reading conflicting definitions of what this word actually means. History of Nations - Oceania...
- History Of Tokelau
History of Tokelau. This is a brief essay on the history of Tokelau which is a group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand. It is a territory of New Zealand. Wikipedia notes, "Tokelau is a non-self-governing...
- History Of Niue
History of Niue. Have you ever heard of Niue? I sure had not. It is a small Oceania island which is a territory of New Zealand. And like all places on Earth, it has a history. Wikipedia notes, "Niue is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean....
- History Of Samoa
History of Samoa. This is a short overview to the history of the Pacific island nation of Samoa. From the site: Migrants from Southeast Asia arrived in the Samoan islands more than 2,000 years ago and from there settled the rest of Polynesia further to...
- History Of American Samoa
History of American Samoa. This is a small but intersting look at the history of American Samoa. From the site: Migrants from Southeast Asia arrived in the Samoan islands more than 2,000 years ago and from there settled the rest of Polynesia further...
World History
History of Tonga
History of Tonga. This is a good essay which covers the history of the Oceania island nation of Tonga.
Wikipedia notes that, "The Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean, about a third of the way between New Zealand and Hawaii. It lies south of Samoa and east of Fiji."
One fact I learned from this essay is that Tonga was active in World War Two. In addition to hosting allied troops, over 2000 Tongan troops saw action in the Solomon Islands. Considering the size of Tonga, this represents a huge investment in the war!
From the site:
The word Tonga means "south" in numerous Polynesian languages. Some scholars believe the inhabitants originally came from the islands now known as Samoa. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Tonga islands have been settled since at least 500 B.C., and local traditions have carefully preserved the names of the Tongan sovereign for about 1,000 years. The power of the Tongan monarchy reached its height in the 13th century. At the time, chieftains exercised political influence as far away as Samoa.
During the 14th century, the King of Tonga delegated much of his temporal power to a brother while retaining the spiritual authority. Sometime later, this process was repeated by the second royal line, thus resulting in three distinct lines: the Tu'i Tonga with spiritual authority, which is believed to have extended over much of Polynesia; the Tu'i Ha'atakalaua; and the Tu'i Kanokupolu. The latter two had temporal authority for carrying out much of the day-to-day administration of the kingdom.
- What Is Oceania?
Oceania is a term often used to describe a large part of the world in the Pacific. I use Oceania as a label at this blog for some posts. However, I have been reading conflicting definitions of what this word actually means. History of Nations - Oceania...
- History Of Tokelau
History of Tokelau. This is a brief essay on the history of Tokelau which is a group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand. It is a territory of New Zealand. Wikipedia notes, "Tokelau is a non-self-governing...
- History Of Niue
History of Niue. Have you ever heard of Niue? I sure had not. It is a small Oceania island which is a territory of New Zealand. And like all places on Earth, it has a history. Wikipedia notes, "Niue is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean....
- History Of Samoa
History of Samoa. This is a short overview to the history of the Pacific island nation of Samoa. From the site: Migrants from Southeast Asia arrived in the Samoan islands more than 2,000 years ago and from there settled the rest of Polynesia further to...
- History Of American Samoa
History of American Samoa. This is a small but intersting look at the history of American Samoa. From the site: Migrants from Southeast Asia arrived in the Samoan islands more than 2,000 years ago and from there settled the rest of Polynesia further...