Tonga Party!

Jul 30th, 2008 | NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga -- Tonga's King George Tupou V was anointed Wednesday as the South Pacific's newest monarch in a centuries-old ritual that included receiving gifts of dozens of roasted pigs and slurping the mild narcotic, kava.

The rites performed with dozens of tribal chiefs were the opening salvo in days of festivities marking George V's formal coronation, though he in effect has been Tonga's head of state and leader since his father's death in 2006.

In the Taumafakava ceremony, the king was bestowed with the traditional chiefly Tui Kanokupolu title — making George V the 23rd head of the South Pacific nation's ruling dynasty, founded in the 17th century. The ceremonies culminate Friday with a Christian coronation before foreign heads of state and other dignitaries.

Tribal leaders went through elaborate procedures preparing, presenting and drinking kava — a gritty concoction made from the roots of a pepper plant that numbs the lips and mouth and is widely used at important occasions across the South Pacific.

The kava bowl was presented to George V, who drank it in one gulp as is customary. Thousands of spectators roared their approval in cheers and wild applause.

"From that moment his majesty became king of Tonga, the country was his," said Motu'puaka, the king's official orator.

George V has agreed to give up much of the near-absolute power his family has held for generations over his tiny South Pacific nation in favor of a mainly elected parliament.

The decision announced Monday moves Tonga a step closer to giving up its absolute monarchy. It is one of just a handful of countries in the world where the monarch runs the government day-to-day.

No timeframe was given for the proposed changes to take effect.

The palace has for years promised democratic reforms, but progress has been slow and public dissatisfaction has been building. Tensions at a pro-democracy rally in the capital, Nuku'alofa, boiled over into riots in 2006 that killed eight and left the downtown razed.

George V also accepted dozens of roast pigs and hundreds of baskets of food Wednesday from the crowd; gifts meant to symbolize the abundance of the king's lands.

Tu'ivanuavou, a senior official in the royal household, said the ceremony was a key tribal event, with the more conventional coronation to follow.

"It marked the sealing by the nobles, the chiefs and the people of the sacred authority from his majesty derived from his ancestry," Tu'ivanuavou, who like many Tongan nobles uses just one name, told The Associated Press. "It was an act of homage and a confirmation of allegiance."

George V sat in an open-sided pavilion filled with layers of prized fine mats and topped by 200-yard lengths of folded mulberry bark tapa cloth.

He sat with his back against a framed piece of tree trunk — a centuries-old practice designed to protect against potential attacks by enemy assassins.

When King George arrived he was escorted by the spear-wielding Tui'soso, a Fijian chief whose task was to drive away evil spirits.

The chiefly families of Tonga and Fiji are closely linked by blood and marriage.

As night fell, schoolchildren held up 30,000 flaming torches to announce to the world that George V was the anointed King of Tonga.

Selected From An Article By PITA LIGAIULA Associated Press Writer

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[ Edited by: Trader Tom 2008-07-30 02:26 ]

The text above said dozens of pigs. Here is a pic and they said the count was about 70 pigs! That's a luau!!!

On 2008-07-30 02:10, Trader Tom wrote:
and slurping the mild narcotic, kava.

mild narcotic eh, should have been in my head last night after my 16th cup of kava last night.

The pigs came from a meat/BBQ place just south of Kansas City called Kerzwells (sp?). The article I saw quoted them as sending around 150 cleaned and frozen pigs! I'll see if I can find a link to the story.

HA! Found it: Here's the quote:

On Aug. 1, the Kingdom of Tonga, an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, coronates King George Tupou V, who ascended to the throne following his father’s death. At a coronation feast, 135 whole hogs that Jim Kurzweil procured and prepared, will be roasted in traditional luau fashion to celebrate the new king’s reign.

And here's the link to the whole story:

http://www.ruralmissouri.org/08pages/08AugKurzweils.html

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Classic Silver Line Boats

[ Edited by: SilverLine 2008-07-31 13:31 ]

Silverline, that's really cool. I grew up just across the river in Illinois and it gives me immense pride to know that midwestern barbecue is appreciated that much! Whenever I go home to visit my folks, I always end up having at least one meal at my favorite barbecue restaurant:http://www.17thstreetbarbecue.com/index.htm They live in a town of 10,000 but this restaurant was Bon Apetit Magazine's top choice for barbecue. So many good places to try in the midwest barbecue belt. I'll have to try Kurzweil's next time I'm out that way!

It occurred to me that the celebration is ongoing for several days. They might have put out 70 of the pigs to start with and are saving the rest for later. Impressive to see that much barbecue!