He returned in and spent two months exploring and charting the Tongan archipelago, with his legendary skill as a cartographer producing accurate charts still in regular use until recent times. The conspiracy was only foiled at the eleventh hour after a dispute between Finau and other village nobles, and Cook sailed away oblivious of his intended fate.
Ironically his positive and complementary name for the Kingdom of Tonga remains in common use. Over ensuring years early traders continued to visit Tonga and tensions grew between Europeans and Tongans. With the exception of a young cabin boy William Mariner, all the crew was killed. In , the scattered and pristine islands of western Polynesia became united as the Kingdom of Tonga, and 30 years later officially became a constitutional monarchy and British Protectorate.
The first King of this united Tonga was George Tupou I, and the modern Kingdom of Tonga is the only Pacific Island nation never to lose its indigenous governance or to be colonised.
Before he could leave Tongan waters, however, the famous mutiny took place near the island of Ha'afeva in the Ha'apai group.
Some 20 years later Chief Finau II of Lifuka captured a British ship named the Port au Prince, stealing all of its muskets and ammunition, setting it on fire, and brutally slaughtering all but one member of its crew.
The survivor was a year-old Londoner named Will Mariner. He became a favorite of the chief, spent several years living among the Tongans, and later wrote a four-volume account of his experiences. He told how the Tongans mistook 12, silver coins on the Port au Prince for gaming pieces they called pa'angas. The national currency today is known as the pa'anga.
The arrival of the Wesleyan missionaries on Lifuka in the s coincided with the rise of Taufa'ahau, a powerful chief who converted to Christianity in With their help, he won a series of domestic wars. By , he had conquered all of Tonga and declared himself to be the new Tui Tonga. In he made his subordinate chiefs "nobles," but he also freed the commoners from forced labor and instituted the policy of granting each adult male a garden plot in the countryside and a house lot in town.
He created a Privy Council of his own choosing and established a legislative assembly made up of representatives of the nobles and commoners. This system was committed to writing in the Constitution of , which still is in effect today. The assembly is known now as Parliament. King George I died in at the age of 97, thus ending a reign of 48 years. His great-grandson, King George II, ruled for the next 25 years and is best remembered for signing a treaty with Great Britain in , which turned Tonga's foreign affairs over to the British and prevented any further encroachments on Tonga by the Western colonial powers.
Consequently, the Kingdom of Tonga was never colonized. King George II was succeeded in by his daughter, the 6-footinch Queen Salote her name is the Tongan transliteration of Charlotte. This meant that Tonga had a large degree of independence and autonomy, but foreign affairs were controlled by Britain. In , Tongans were granted the right to control all internal affairs, and on 4 June , they were granted full independence.
Despite a great deal of colonial influence throughout its history, Tonga is the only nation in the Pacific Islands that has never given up indigenous governance and is still officially known as The Kingdom of Tonga. At Goway we believe that a well-informed traveller is a safer traveller. With this in mind, we have compiled an easy to navigate travel information section dedicated to the Tonga. Learn about the history and culture of the Tonga.
Read about Tonga's nature and wildlife , weather and geography, along with 'Country Quickfacts' compiled by our travel experts. Our globetrotting tips , as well as our visa and health information will help ensure you're properly prepared for a safe and enjoyable trip. The only way you could possibly learn more is by embarking on your journey and discovering Tonga. Start exploring Consider an additional stopover after or before one of your Tonga tours at one of Goway's other South Pacific destinations.
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