Tonga Economy, People, Culture and Flag

People of Tonga

the original people of Tonga are Polynesians. They primarily belong to the Lapita race that relocated from the Fiji Islands. However, there is also a mingling of Melanesians. Theses people make up the majority of the population. The remaining 2% of the population or so comprises of Europeans, Australians, Chinese and mix-bloods and also a few others.

Arts, Culture and Music of Tonga

• Art : traditional art in Tonga is made up of hereditary craft skills and is practiced as much by men as women. Those that form the inventory are painting, matting, textile arts, woodcarving, tattooing, canoe-building, coral and tortoise-shell jewelry.
• Culture : the culture of Tonga is basically Polynesian. People on the islands live an idyllic and primitive life which is deep rooted in culture and tradition. However, European advent has had a significant impact on the Tongan lifestyle, causing the incorporation of new habits. So now they have two modes of behavior – one is the traditional way or the “anga fakatonga”, the other is the adopted western style or the “anga fakapãlangi”.
• Music : Tongan music came to the fore front only after the arrival of the Europeans on the islands. Most of the musical tradition in Tonga is percussion based. Be it dances or songs, the drum is an integral part of music in Tonga. The other traditional instruments used in Tonga, besides the drum, are the “Nose Flute” and a slit-gong called “Lali”.

The traditional dances in Tonga include 'otuhaka, ula and me'etu'upaki. Royal music is a different genre in itself which is preserved for specific occasions and has different types of music to commemorate different occasions be it weddings or funerals or even apologies.

Flag of Tonga

the Tongan flag is held to be the oldest adopted flag among the island nations in the southern region of the Pacific Ocean. The flag is rectangular in shape and is completely dominated by two colors – red and white. Red forms the background color of the flag. On the left top corner of the flag is superimposed a square white patch in which is an equal armed cross in red. While the color red symbolizes Christ's blood, white stands for purity and the red cross is representative of the advent of Christianity to the island.

Economy of Tonga

Tonga's chief source of income is derived from the remitment received from Tonga's expatriate community. The other fact about the economy in Tonga is that it is largely concentrated in the hands of the nobles and the royalty. The contribution made from the manufacturing front is solely dependent on handicrafts and cottage industries. Revenues generated from agriculture are obtained from crops such as vanilla beans, coconuts and bananas. A direct result of the agricultural industry is the industries that process the coconuts into copra and preserving them by dehydrating them. Livestock and horse breeding are also small scale revenue bringers. The fishing industry, timber produces and the tourism industry are the only other spheres that make a significant contribution to the economy in Tonga.

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