Shamanism in Tonga: An Assessment

Abstract

The Tu'i Tonga was a spiritual ruler, a direct descendant of the original Tongan gods. In 1842, when the last holder of the Tu'i Tonga title converted to Catholicism, it brought an end to an association between that chief and Tangaloa as related in the Tongan origin myth. The god Tangaloa is just one element of the indigenous Tongan religion that can be found across Polynesia; Maui is another pan-Polynesian culture hero. Indigenous Tongan religion also shared the idea of a heaven with multiple skies, priests who learned sacred lore and performed religious rites, and people who become possessed by spirits and gods, on a more or less informal basis, and made pronouncements on their behalf. These elements could suggest that such religions were shamanic, but there is some question as to whether this is the correct way to characterise the indigenous religion of Tonga. The article explores Niel Gunson's proposition that indigenous Tongan religion developed from shamanism and retained some elements of the practice even in the 18th century. It suggests that the Tu'i Tonga was a master shaman himself. It examines important features of shamanism as described by scholars and considers their use as an analytical framework to illustrate indigenous Tongan religious beliefs.

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