The release of the first part of a series of articles on the history of Tonga has been a great success with thousands of shares on social media and thousands of visitors every day to our website. There are some questions that arose regarding current DNA findings that point to a Southeast Asian and Taiwanese origin of Polynesians/Tongans.
I do not dispute that there may have been a people throughout the Pacific prior to the arrival of the Kohai, Koau, and Momo clans to Tonga. A people that scientists refer to as Lapita. As a Tongan, and a lifetime researcher regarding the origins of my people; I have never found one convincing piece of evidence when looking at the political, social, scientific, and religious culture of Tongans that convinces me that my ancestors are primarily from Southeast Asia or Taiwan.
Captain Cook was the first to come up with the idea that Polynesians came from South East Asia, and many of the Academics from the West, as well as Polynesian Academics, have almost purely focused on validating Capt. Cook’s id
ea. I know it is difficult to say something different after so many scientists have spent so much money and time to explain our history for us, to fit their own agenda. I say that DNA alone does not account for all points of origin for Tongans or Polynesians.
As a Polynesian, a Tongan, and as a human being searching for my own origin; I do not come to the same conclusion that is perpetuated and is maintained by the Western Academia regarding the origin of my people. With this knowledge that I have I cannot help but share. Share what I have searched for all my life and what I have discovered.
As a Polynesian, I do not search for my origins for money, or for a job, or for a degree, or to prove someone else’s theory. I do it to first understand who I am and where I come from. Second, for all our people across Polynesia. And lastly, for the rest of the world. We Polynesians not only offer the world our abilities to entertain through dance, song, and amazement through our athletic prowess. We also offer a rich heritage of various historical and cultural traditions. Scientific knowledge that allowed us to build ancient ruins and navigate millions of square miles. A political and social structure that maintained a vast and vibrant empire. Religious knowledge that understood and believed in life after death, and so much more.
Once again many historians say that Polynesians came from South East Asia to the Pacific and started their civilization in Samoa and Tonga. The first of the Tongan Polynesians do have distant ties to Asia, but they came from Asia to the Americas and then to Polynesia. The scientific knowledge, social structure, religious beliefs, and political (Monarchy) systems all point to ties to the Americas and certain parts of Asia.
The Kohai, Koau, and Momo clans through time inevitably mixed with the Lapita people from South East Asia. The Tongan Polynesians dominated the Lapita people due to their advanced knowledge and complex culture. DNA cannot tell this story. However, understanding the differences in the Lapita civilization and the first Tongan Polynesians we can tell the difference. For example the Lapita people did not build mounds. Yet we know that ancient Tongans were dedicated mound builders as they built mounds for everything they did, and so were civilizations from the Americas. You can read my article on How to understand Ancient Tongan and Polynesian History and how mounds are critical. The Americas origin explains the Political, Social, Scientific, and Religious complexities of Ancient Tongan that soon became an Empire that spread throughout Polynesia. As expressed previously an example if that both the Tongans and American civilizations were dedicated to mound building.
Once again, it was this new infusion of knowledge and complex culture that lead to the formation of a new and vast empire that is confirmed by oral history throughout the Pacific as the Tongan Empire head by the Tu’i Tonga. An empire, where the seat of power, Tonga, has survived as a Monarchy and as an independent people/country to this very day.
The purpose of this website and my articles is to express what I have found in my research and allow readers to judge for themselves what they believe to be true.
You may be interested in this book, if you don’t already have it:
https://archive.org/details/AmericanIndiansPacificHeyerdahl
Enjoy!
Take a look at Rod Meldrum’s research on the Mound Builders of America also known as the Hopewell people. They were an Ancient American people who were all destroyed by the remaining American Natives who are a brother people them.
I too share your ideas. I am Chamoru from Guam and also Chuukese from Chuuk, Micronesia. Here on Guam the DNA research shows 2 waves of migrations. The first in my opinion is the lapita which is older around 4000 to 6000 yrs old. The second, cane around 900 ad and coincides with megalith building aka our Latte stones. This second migration brought with them social stratification, religion and architecture unique to the our culture but shared with you our cousins from across the pacific. We also share DNA from the Americas. In some studies our closest relatives are the Navajo people.
I love your website and i look forward to your articles.
Your relative from Guam.
Also I look to our counting system as a source of reference to either trade or shared ideas amongst pacific peoples
I was blessed to have visited Peru through work, and was able to see the ancient civilisation of the Peruvians, strikingly similar to our Tongan customs. Especially through their clothes.