Momo (Tonga)
Encyclopedia
Momo was the 10th Tui Tonga
, a dynasty of mighty kings in Tonga
, and lived somewhere in the 11th, maybe 12th century AD. He was named after one of the original gods of Tonga, a trio known as Kohai, Koau, mo Momo
. It was under his reign that the Tui Tonga maritime empire
started to blossom.
King Momo had his court in Heketā, near the village of Niutōua
(doubly planted coconuttrees), so named because a red and a white palm grew from the same hole. His people were known as the Haa-mene-uli (dirty bottoms tribe), because in order to honour him they had to keep their head lower than his, and thus shuffled around on their bottoms instead of their feet.
One day the king fell in love with a beautiful girl and sent his envoy, Lehauli, to her father, Loau, the Tui-Haamea (Haamea king) with the request to beg him for a yam
for his plantation. Loau understood the real meaning of the request and answered that he was unable to help as one yam was still immature and the other had already sprouted. He meant to say that his youngest daughter was still too young while his older daughter, named Nua, had already brought forth a child and was therefore an old woman. (Once a yam starts to sprout the tuber is no longer edible). Her husband was Ngongokilitoto from Malapo
, chief of the Haangongo tribe.
Momo had to think for a moment, but next day he sent his envoy back to Loau with the famous words: Fena kā ko Nua (sprouted, but still it is Nua). And so Loau had to go to Malapo to ask Ngongokilitoto to give up his wife. It was hard as the two really loved each other, but they knew who was boss.
At last Nua became Momo's wife. Their son would be the greatest Tui Tonga of that period, Tuitātui
. And his elder stepbrother, Fasiapule, would later become a kind of governor.
It is not sure where Haamea was located. Some claim the centre of Tongatapu
, near Matangiake, in which case Loau was only a minor prince. It is also possible that the name is a variant of Haamoa (Sāmoa
), in which case Loau was a mighty king too. Then this marriage may be a mythical way to tell about an alliance between Tonga and Sāmoa, and the start of the empire. An alliance which would only last one generation.
Tu'i Tonga
The Tui Tonga is a line of Tongan kings, which originated in the 10th century with the mythical Ahoeitu; withdrew from political power in the 15th century by yielding to the Tui Haatakalaua; and died out with Laufilitonga in 1865...
, a dynasty of mighty kings in Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
, and lived somewhere in the 11th, maybe 12th century AD. He was named after one of the original gods of Tonga, a trio known as Kohai, Koau, mo Momo
Kohai, Koau, mo Momo
Kohai , Koau , mo Momo were in the Tongan mythology the first human beings created on earth. They came forth from the uanga...
. It was under his reign that the Tui Tonga maritime empire
Tu'i Tonga Empire
Some early European commentators have propagated the notion of a pre-historic "Tui Tonga Empire" or "Tongan Empire" in Oceania.This idea has long been a source of cultural pride among some Tongans even though it has been seriously challenged and generally discounted by modern archaeologists,...
started to blossom.
King Momo had his court in Heketā, near the village of Niutōua
Niutoua
Niutoua is a village in Tongatapu, Tonga. It is located close to the Ha'amonga 'a Maui stone on the extreme northeast corner of the island. It was the first capital of the Tu'i Tonga Empire....
(doubly planted coconuttrees), so named because a red and a white palm grew from the same hole. His people were known as the Haa-mene-uli (dirty bottoms tribe), because in order to honour him they had to keep their head lower than his, and thus shuffled around on their bottoms instead of their feet.
One day the king fell in love with a beautiful girl and sent his envoy, Lehauli, to her father, Loau, the Tui-Haamea (Haamea king) with the request to beg him for a yam
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
for his plantation. Loau understood the real meaning of the request and answered that he was unable to help as one yam was still immature and the other had already sprouted. He meant to say that his youngest daughter was still too young while his older daughter, named Nua, had already brought forth a child and was therefore an old woman. (Once a yam starts to sprout the tuber is no longer edible). Her husband was Ngongokilitoto from Malapo
Malapo
Malapo is a small village in the eastern district of Tongatapu in the kingdom of Tonga. It is located in the fork of the road junction, where the main road to Nukualofa splits into the road to Mua and beyond and the road to the airport near Fuaamotu...
, chief of the Haangongo tribe.
Momo had to think for a moment, but next day he sent his envoy back to Loau with the famous words: Fena kā ko Nua (sprouted, but still it is Nua). And so Loau had to go to Malapo to ask Ngongokilitoto to give up his wife. It was hard as the two really loved each other, but they knew who was boss.
At last Nua became Momo's wife. Their son would be the greatest Tui Tonga of that period, Tuitātui
Tu'itatui
Tui-tā-tui was the 11th Tui Tonga, a dynasty of mighty kings in Tonga, and lived somewhere in the 12th century AD...
. And his elder stepbrother, Fasiapule, would later become a kind of governor.
It is not sure where Haamea was located. Some claim the centre of Tongatapu
Tongatapu
Tongatapu is the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga and the location of its capital Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with approximately 71,260 residents , 70.5% of the national population...
, near Matangiake, in which case Loau was only a minor prince. It is also possible that the name is a variant of Haamoa (Sāmoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
), in which case Loau was a mighty king too. Then this marriage may be a mythical way to tell about an alliance between Tonga and Sāmoa, and the start of the empire. An alliance which would only last one generation.