Tongahiti

Tongahiti is one of Tāwhaki's enemies in a Māori tradition which White (1887-1891) attributes to the Ngati Hau iwi. In this tale, Tāwhaki blocks up all the chinks in the house of his enemies, a house of which his grandmother Whaitiri is the doorkeeper. Before sunset, the enemies - who are like small birds - flock into the house in great numbers. Tongahiti is among them. When morning comes, the enemies sleep on, because no light can enter the house. Tongahiti makes a remark about the length of the night, and suggests that Whaitiri may be deceiving them. Tāwhaki now lets the light in, and then kills all the creatures except Tongahiti, who manages to escape through a small hole he pierces through the base of one of the posts at the back of the house.

Tongahiti is called 'god of headaches' by White (1887-1891) in his English translation of the story. The reference to headaches does not appear in the Māori text. (Tongahiti is also mentioned by Tregear as 'the god of Headache', giving White I:101 as his source).

Tonga

Coordinates: 20°S 175°W / 20°S 175°W / -20; -175

Tonga ([ˈtoŋa]; Tongan: Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is a Polynesian sovereign state and archipelago comprising 177 islands of which 52 islands are inhabited. The total surface area is about 750 square kilometres (290 sq mi) scattered over 700,000 square kilometres (270,000 sq mi) of the southern Pacific Ocean. It has a population 103,000 people of whom 70% reside on the main island of Tongatapu.

Tonga stretches over about 800 kilometres (500 mi) in a north-south line – about a third of the distance from New Zealand to Hawaii. It is surrounded by Fiji and Wallis and Futuna (France) to the northwest, Samoa to the northeast, Niue to the east, Kermadec (part of New Zealand) to the southwest, and New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu to the farther west.

Tonga became known as the Friendly Islands because of the congenial reception accorded to Captain James Cook on his first visit in 1773. He arrived at the time of the ʻinasi festival, the yearly donation of the First Fruits to the Tuʻi Tonga (the islands' paramount chief) and so received an invitation to the festivities. According to the writer William Mariner, the chiefs wanted to kill Cook during the gathering but could not agree on a plan.

Tonga (disambiguation)

Tonga is a Pacific Island nation whose people are known as Tongans.

Tonga may also refer to:

Places

People

Languages

In Polynesian mythology

Other uses

Tonga (Tuvalu)

Tonga is a village in Tuvalu.

Population

Tonga's population is 358, making it the seventh most populous village in Tuvalu. It is the main village of the island of Nanumanga, comprising 52% of the population of the island. The only other village is on the island Tokelau.

See also

References

Coordinates: 6°17′S 176°19′E / 6.283°S 176.317°E / -6.283; 176.317

Hiti

Hiti, or Hiti-rau-mea, is a small atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is located 19 km southwest of Makemo Atoll.

Hiti Atoll is oval in shape. It measures 9 km in length with a maximum width of 6 km. There are some narrow islands on the northern side of its reef with a total land area of about 3 km². The southern part of the reef is broader but has no islands. Hiti's lagoon is not connected to the ocean by a pass.

The small group formed by Hiti, Tepoto Sud and Tuanake is also known as the "Raevski Atolls". The Tuamotu reed warbler and the Polynesian ground dove are found in this area.

Hiti Atoll is permanently uninhabited.

History

The first recorded European to arrive to Hiti Atoll was Russian oceanic explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen in 1820.

Administration

Hiti belongs to the commune of Makemo, which consists of the atolls of Makemo, Haraiki, Marutea Nord, Katiu, Tuanake, Hiti, Tepoto Sud, Raroia, Takume, Taenga and Nihiru.

References