In Tonga, wearing black is so common that foreign visitors could mistake it for a fashion statement. It is not. As in many other countries, it is worn as a sign of mourning. The closer the relative, the longer you wear black and, if an immediate family member passes away, black may be worn for as long as a year. Black was worn by thousands when the country’s prime minister and long-time democracy campaigner ‘Akilisi Pohiva died in New Zealand/Aotearoa on 12 September. It was the end of an era.
Tonga was first settled 3,000 years ago. Its royal family traces back its lineage more than 1,000 years. It was visited by Captain James Cook, who called it the Friendly Islands in 1773. In 1826, Wesleyan missionaries visited and Taufa’ahau Tupou, ruler of the Ha’apai Islands, was among those converted to Christianity. He united the Tongan islands and in 1845 became King George Tupou I. Although Tonga was never colonized, from 1890 onwards the archipelago was seen as a ‘protectorate’ of the British crown and did not celebrate full independence until 1970.
