Tongans
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 |
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| Tongans |
|---|
    |
| Total population |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, United States |
| Languages |
| Tongan, English |
| Religions |
| Protestantism |
| Related ethnic groups |
| other Polynesian peoples |
Tongans make up the vast majority of the inhabitants of Tonga. They are a Polynesian ethnic group with negligeable Melanesian and European admixture.
[edit] The Tongan People
Tonga was called The Friendly Islands by Captain Cook. It welcomes all visitors.
Most of the people in Tonga are Polynesian. Polynesians are a mixture of three races - Caucasoid, Mongoloid and Negroid.
The main population of Tonga in July 1997 was 107,335. In the year 2010 the population of Tonga will be about 119,000.
Many Tongans emigrate, mostly to New Zealand, Australia and the U.S.A.
In Tonga people live to old ages. Males live up to 65 years of age and females live up to 70 years of age.
Most Tongans have brown skin, brown eyes and black hair.
[edit] The Tongan Language
The Tongan language is a Polynesian dialect. Some of the common words are similar to other Polynesian dialects like Samoan, Hawaiian, Tahitian, Maori, Rarotongan, Niuean, Tuvaluan and even in pronunciation.
In Tongan you say words the way they are spelt. It is a phonetic language. An example is the word "sea" which means "chair" is not said as the English word for ocean.
A special language is for the King, there is also another for the Royal Family and the chiefs. All other people use a common language, this is known as the Tongan Language.
People from the far north island of Niua Fo'ou speak a slightly different dialect from the rest of the kingdom.
There are 16 letters in the alphabet. There are 5 vowels and 11 consonants.
The Tongan Alphabet
A E F H I K L M N NG O P S T U V
We do not have the following letters :
B C D J Q R W X Y Z
The 11 consonants :
F H K L M N NG P S T V
The vowels :
A E I O U
[edit] Sports & Recreation
Tongans are great at sport. The kinds of sports they play are include : rugby union, soccer, cricket, volleyball, American Football and basketball.
Most traditional games are still played, like Hiko, Pani and Lanita.
Hiko :
Hiko is a juggling and dancing game. You can choose almost anything to juggle like fruit or tennis balls. You compete with others for how long you can juggle or who can juggle the most objects. You can also juggle with other people. Most Tongans can play Hiko both children and adults. When people are dancing on stage, other may Hiko on stage in the background.
Pani :
Two teams play this game with about 10 or so empty tins and tennis balls. One team builds a tower with the tins. Once it is built the opposing team has to throw the tennis balls and knock it down. If you get hit by a ball you're out. If the building team rebuilds the tins into the same shape they have to count aloud to 10 then shout 'pani.' A team gets one point each time they shout 'pani'.
Lanita :
Two teams play this game with a soft ball and two bases. The batter throws the ball into the air and hits it with the hand. If the ball is caught on the full then the batter is out. If not the batter runs between the bases until the fielding team throws the ball & hits the running batter. Each time the batter touches a base it is a run. Each time a batter is out, teams change from batter to fielder.
Tourists who visit Tonga like enjoy the warm clear tropical waters and go game fishing, sailing, scuba diving in caves, deep reefs, lagoons and on sunken ships.
