Tongans and their Neighbors

 

Due to the fact that Tongans have their own kingdom, and that they are the dominant people in that kingdom, there is little negative relations or persecution on Tongans within the country. With that said, don't let their assumed easygoing attitudes and hospitality fool you. They have had a past with many feuds, most notably would be the feuds that Tongans share with their relative neighbors, the Samoans.

The conflict is said to have started all the way back in 900 AD. Tui Tonga became the first proclaimed king of Tonga. While he ruled the kingdom, he demanded the capture and enslavement of the neighboring Samoan people. This continued through the first 400 years of Tonga’s early history without much resistance from the Samoans. This eventually changed though. By about 1600 AD, the royal family of Samoa decided to attack Tonga in an effort to stop the continued slavery and be free once again. The Samoans were victorious and pushed the Tongan forces off of their islands. As the defeated Tongans left, they made a verbal agreement that they would never fight again. It is said that the leader of the Tongans at the time, Talaaifeii, made a statement basically saying that the fighting was over and the only time he would return to Samoa would be only to “greet an old friend.”

Even though the treaty was only made verbally by the two sides, it had actually been honored for multiple centuries after that last fight had ended. But that treaty has come to an end as other wars between the two cultures ensue. Though Tonga has had other conflicts with other regions and countries, they do not face much persecution inside their own borders. This conflict between the Samoans and Tongans is the closest item to some type of conflict based on cultural differences and history rather than just politically fueled ones.