Laufilitonga

Fatafehi Laufilitonga (24 August 1797 - 9 December 1865, [http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Tonga/tuitong4.htm 1] ) was the 39th and last Tuokinai Tonga, a dynasty of mighty kings in Tonga during the Tu'i Tonga Empire.

Biography

Only little is known about Laufilitongas life.

Laufilitonga was the only son of king "Fatafehi Fuanunu'iava" and his wife "Veiongo Moheofo".

He succeeded his father in 1810 as head of the House of Tonga but was considered too young to become "Tuokinai Tonga". The title had by that time also declined in power and prestige and the real power lay with the Tu'i Kanokupolu dynasty.

Laufilitonga however had ambitions to restore the power of the Tuokinai Tonga and tried to extend his role as spiritual leader into a more political one. He contested "Tāufaokinaāhau" (later to be George Tupou I) residing in the Haokinaapai Islands.

The final answer on this struggle was the "Battle of Velata", near Tongoleleka on Lifuka, in 1826 in which Laufilitonga was defeated. An important ally at that battle was the chief of Haokinaafeva who had taken side against Laufilitonga.

In 1827 Laufilitonga admittedly was installed as Tuokinai Tonga but the title neither had political nor spiritual power any more.

On november7 1851 Laufilitonga converted to catholcism and was baptised with the name "Samuelio Fatafehi Laufilitonga" ( [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Tonga.html 2] ).

After his death in 1865 he was buried in the langi Tu´ofefafa i in "Mu'a" and the title Tuokinai Tonga was abolished.

References

*I.C. Campbell; Classical Tongan kingship; 1989
*E. Bott; Tonga society at the time of Captain Cook's visit; 1982
*okinaO. Māhina; Images from the history and culture of Tonga; 2006

External link

* [http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Tonga/tuitong4.htm About Laufilitonga]