From the Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org


BWNS - Tongan Baha'is parade to the palace


From "Michael Day" <mday@bwc.org>
Date Tue, 16 Mar 2004 13:04:14 +0200

Baha'i World News Service
See story with photographs http://www.bahaiworldnews.org
For more information, contact editor@bahaiworldnews.org

Tongan Baha'is parade to the palace
NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga, 15 March 2004  -- Hundreds of Baha'is paraded through the
streets of this capital city as they celebrated the golden anniversary of the
Baha'i Faith in Tonga.

Escorted by the local police band, more than 400 Baha'is set off from the
newly renovated national Baha'i center for their destination, the royal
palace of Tonga.

They wore traditional Tongan woven clothing and carried flags and banners
proclaiming such principles of the Baha'i Faith as the oneness of religion
and the unity of mankind.

At the palace, the Crown Prince Tupouto'a, the first son of King Taufa'ahau
Tupou IV, welcomed the parade.

Baha'is presented traditional gifts of roasted pigs, root crops, fine woven
mats, tapa cloth, and other handicrafts as a sign of respect.

A local Baha'i dance troupe presented a traditional Tongan dance, called
Lakalaka, which had been choreographed specially for this event and had been
rehearsed for months. 

Native American artist Kevin Locke, who represented the Baha'i community of
the United States at the jubilee, performed a hoop dance at the gathering.
His performance was shown on the national television news.

Following royal protocols, traditional orators Masila and Leka -- both of
them Baha'is -- spoke on behalf of the Baha'i community and expressed their
appreciation to the royal family.

In response, the Prince's orator, Vakalahi, assured the Baha'is that the
Faith would continue to be under the blessing of the royal family.

He also noted many of the positive contributions of the Baha'i community to
Tonga, such as the establishment of the Ocean of Light International School.

The school, located on the outskirts of Nuku'alofa, first opened in 1996 with
nine students.

Now there are about 300 children at the school, 80 per cent of them from
Tonga. Students also come from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the
United States.

The school provides elementary and secondary education, emphasizes high
ethical standards, and offers a moral educational program.

The highlights of the jubilee, held from 24 to 28 January 2004, included a
welcoming ball, with 600 in attendance, a morning devotional gathering
attended by 500, and a luncheon attended by some 800 Baha'is and guests,
including a member of the royal family.

Baha'is from various Tongan island groups, such as Vavau, Eua, and Haapai,
gathered for the jubilee. Others came from Samoa, the Marshall Islands, New
Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, and the continental United States.

Among the special guests was Stanley Bolton, who arrived  from Australia as
the first Baha'i in the country on 25 January 1954.

The day of the luncheon was the anniversary of Dr. Bolton's arrival in Tonga
a half century earlier.

For his services in bringing the Faith to Tonga, Dr. Bolton received the
accolade Knight of Baha'u'llah from the then head of the Faith, Shoghi
Effendi, as did two other pioneering Baha'is, Dudley Moore Blakely, and his
wife Elsa (Judy) Blakely, who arrived from the United States on 12 July,
1954.

"I could never dream 50 years ago that such a gathering of Tongan Baha'is in
the name of Baha'u'llah was ever possible," said Dr. Bolton at the luncheon.

"Much has transpired since the seed was planted 50 years ago. With the flow
of pioneers the seed was watered, nurtured and steadily grew to become such a
strong tree," he said.

The guest of honor at the event was the Hon. Ma'atu, the second son of the
King. (The Hon. Ma'atu passed away on 17 February 2004 after suffering a
heart attack. Representatives of the Baha'i community accepted an invitation
to offer prayers at the memorial service held on 24 February.)

Also present at the jubilee luncheon were retired speaker of the parliament,
Hon. Fusitu'a, accompanied by his daughter; Donald Blanks, a member of the
Continental Board of Counsellors for Australasia; representatives of the
National Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha'is of Samoa, Hawaii, Australia, and
New Zealand; and many government officials, community leaders, and members of
the Christian community of Tonga.

The evening program featured a choir competition. Seven groups -- from Tonga,
New Zealand, and Australia -- competed. The songs were based on the Baha'i
sacred writings and the themes of "Reflections on the Life of the Spirit," a
course aimed at understanding prayer, life after death, and the spiritual
nature of human beings.

On 27 January, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for
Australasia, Heather Simpson, spoke about the progress of devotional
meetings, study circles, and children's classes, activities now being focused
on by Baha'i communities worldwide.

Participants improved their skills in workshops on media and video, the use
of the arts and of music, and community development.

During a presentation about the growth of the Faith in Tonga from just a few
souls in the 1950s to 29 Local Spiritual Assemblies today, participants heard
about visits from such prominent Baha'is as Hands of the Cause Collis
Featherstone, Abu'l-Qasim Faizi, Rahmatu'llah Muhajir, Enoch Olinga, Ruhiyyih
Rabbani, and John Robarts, and a member of the Universal House of Justice,
Hugh Chance. Some 45 Baha'is from other countries have lived in Tonga for
various periods of time to assist in the development of the Baha'i community.

The Tongan Baha'i community has a rich, courageous and dramatic history,
growing amidst a society that was not initially receptive to a new religion.
Among the early Baha'is were Latu and Mele Tu'akihekolo, Peni and Lupe
Tutu'ila (Lupe being the first Tongan woman to accept the Faith), Tevita
Tu'ipulotu and Seini Toutaiolepo, Lisiate Maka (who became a member of the
Continental Board of Counsellors), Tevita Halaholo and Hesekaia Vaohingano.

Tonga has also sent out many Baha'is from its borders to help establish the
Faith in other lands. For example, Mosese Hokafonu travelled extensively for
the Faith throughout the kingdom and the Pacific, and Suliana Halaholo
Korean, a notable translator of the Baha'i writings, lived as a Baha'i
pioneer with her husband Masao in the Marshall Islands. She passed away there
in 1982.

The first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in Nuku'alofa in April 1958.
Tonga established its own National Spiritual Assembly in 1976.

The five-day jubilee celebrations ended with a picnic and a dance: "Island
Night." Participants from different islands wore their traditional local
costumes as they performed dances.

The jubilee was an occasion of unprecedented media coverage of the Faith in
Tonga, with the national TV channel and radio covering three nights of the
jubilee. Reporters from two newspapers also covered the events.


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