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