Becoming Tongan : an ethnography of childhood in the Kingdom of Tonga

Abstract

Child socialisation in Tonga is examined in this thesis from the perspective of the hierarchical relations that are a pervasive feature of Tongan social life. Social competence in Tonga is, to a great extent, the ability to behave according to one’s social status in any given context. This thesis discusses the kinds of knowledge that enable children to develop this ability, including the cultural values of ‘love’, respect and obedience, and the concepts and roles associated with kinship and gender. The primary ways in which this knowledge is acquired are also analysed, and include observation and imitation, language socialisation, play, punishment, and the socialisation of emotion. The thesis also explores the notion of personhood in Tonga, particularly in relation to the chief/commoner distinction. In order to contextualise this analysis of socialisation, broader aspects of the ethnography of childhood in Tonga are also addressed. Attitudes to marriage and reproduction, the beliefs and practices associated with pregnancy and birth, and the physical care of infants are discussed. The details of children’s everyday lives are described: their work, play, schooling, health and nutrition. Throughout the thesis the process of social change is considered, and its impact on Tongans’ perceptions of their ‘cultural identity’ is assessed.