Prehistoric Tongan economy

The Tongan economy was based upon the resources of the land and sea that abound in the tropical and sub-tropical parts of the Pacific ocean and were used by the Tonga. The sea yielded fish for food, shell for implements and ornamentations, and shark's teeth and skin for cutting and abrasive tools. The turtle provided meat, regarded as the food of chiefs, and shell for combs, rings, jewellery and fish-hooks. Whale teeth were used for religious purposes, and also furnished a valuable article of foreign exchange.

The land produced of itself a wide variety of plants and trees. Some agricultural products were cultivated: yams, bananas and plantains for food; and the paper mulberry and the pandanus for clothes and mat making. The coconut, a basic item of food and drink, also provided building materials such as nets, baskets, rope, cord, mats, fans and combs. Kava was cultivated for the use of the chiefs and for ceremonial purposes. Pigs and fowls, the only domesticated animals, were left to scavenge for food, and breed at will. Although the Tongans were excellent farmers, aided by a rich soil and favourable climate, famines were frequent. They were caused on occasions by unusually dry seasons, or by devastating hurricanes.

More often than not, however, shortages of food resulted from excessive consumption of food at 'Inasi ceremonies, weddings, funerals and voyages to the outer islands. At the marriage of the Tu'i Tonga, for example, food was stacked in heaps, sometimes fifteen or eighteen metres high. Some attempts were made to lessen the frequency and severity of famine by declaring certain foods "tapu" following large-scale feasting. The tapu was also employed before some anticipated ceremony or festival to ensure that ample food for was available at the appointed time. There appears to have been some concern to over-produce in order to meet the demands of ceremonial and obligatory presentations of food, but only limited attempts were made to store food for lean times, the exception being the preservation of breadfruit in pits and the storage of yams in specially constructed shelters.

Wealth was determined by the amount of agricultural and marine produce and manufactures one could control or call upon. The chief's people, both enslaved and free, were one of his greatest assets in this regard, for they provided the work force which enabled him to exploit the resources of land and sea. Wealth was frequently redistributed at funerals and weddings where great quantities of produce and manufactures changed hands, leaving the chiefs most closely associated with the event considerably the wealthier. For the Tu'i Tonga and the Tu'i Kanokupolu, the 'Inasi ceremonies furnished considerable wealth, for the people at this time supplied these high chiefs, not only with the necessities of life but with the luxuries, the honours and the wealth of the islands.

For generations the Tongans made trading voyages to Fiji and Samoa in search of wooden bowls, fine mats, earthenware, war weapons and decorative red feathers. Much sought after was the sandalwood which served as a perfume in the coconut oil used by chiefs in anointing their bodies. In early years this valuable commodity was purchased with whale teeth, but with the arrival of Europeans with their iron tools the Fijians began to demand these new and valuable items in return for the much-prized wood. They also demanded axes and chisels and those too of the best quality. Large double sailing canoes were also sought by the Tongans. Chief Tu'i Halafatai, for example, discarded his own canoes for the better ones of the Fijian Island. Many Tongans in Fiji built their own large double canoes such the huge boat at Lakeba have been constructed and on measuring it found it to be one hundred and two feet long, seven feet wide and five feet deep. This particular canoe was being paid for in both old and new currency: whale teeth and axes and guns.

Within the Tongan economy there existed a number of recognized trades and professions. Some of these involved the utilitarian skills of canoe building, net making, fishing and domestic and agricultural labour. Others were associated more with decorative and ornamentalskills such as club carving, whale ivory sculpting and tattooing. Still other occupations, as in the case of stone masons and funeral attendants, were connected with the death and burial of chiefs. Occupations were hedged about by class restrictions. Canoe builders, sculptors, funeral attendants, net makers and fishermen were always drawn from the mu'a and matapu'e classes. Barbers, cooks and agricultural workers were always tu'a. Other occupations, such as house builders, tattooists and club carvers could be followed by either tu'a or mu'a classes.