Top Resources

Internet Sources:

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/tongans/page-1

·      This was similar to an Encyclopedia entry that had a great overview on all aspects of Tonga and its people.

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/oceania/tonga/toland.htm

·      This was a great source that depicted the geography and landscape of the country. It was also a great source that showed how the people and nature interact and utilize the geography.

http://www.safaritheglobe.com/culture_tonga.aspx

·      This source again gave an overview of various subjects pertaining to the Tongans. It was very helpful because it focused on the traditions and lifestyles of the Tongans. And it really focused on the ranking systems and family units, which are a key part to their culture.

Books:

Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Oceania and Asia

·      This was an encyclopedia entry that again gave a great overview of the region.

Tongans Overseas: Between Two Shores

·      This book was a great source. It gave a complete history of the diaspora and migration of the modern day Tongans in the past 100 years.

History Book of Tonga: “The Friendly Islands: 1616-1900”

·      This was probably my favorite source out of everything that I found throughout my time researching this culture. This book was comprised of many first hand experiences of settlers and explorers that had visited Tonga. The book was filled with journal entries, and letters, and really gave a cool perspective to the area that I had been studying. Some of the best entries were by Captain James Cook.

Scholarly Journals:

Social Structure, Space and Possession, in Tongan Culture and Language: An Ethnolinguistic Study

·      This particular article focused on the Tongan language, their culture, their mental processes, and also the relationship between all of them. The author is Svenja Volkel, a professor at the University of Mainz in Germany. She Visited Tonga herself as well.

Making a Case for Tongan: An endangered Language

·      This was a very interesting article as well. It focused on the diaspora of the Tongans, and how their youths are becoming very westernized despite of the efforts made by the women of the society and their elders, who are trying to keep the traditional culture intact as much as possible.

Prehistoric Species Richness of Birds on Oceanic Islands

·      This article was very interesting to me as well. Where many sources I found gave descriptions of the different birds in Tonga, this article specifically focused on some of the most ancient birds still present in the area, and also the reasons why they were able to endure for as long as they have.