God and Tonga ARE my Inheritance.

Mate Ma'a Tonga(Die for Tonga)

The Mountains of Tonga are in the Heart!

I would like to first pay my respect and acknowledge the King of Tonga, King Taufa'ahau Tupou, the VI.  I also extend my respect to the nobles and all the lords of Tonga.  I respect all the government leaders, church leaders, and all the people of Tonga, both in Tonga and abroad.  Please allow me to take this moment to brag about our beautiful Island of Tonga.

 Her late Majesty Queen Salote Tupou III had outlined the four golden sashes of a Tongan, also known as the Core Values of a Tongan.

Golden Sash number one is RESPECT.  We respect our king, who is the ruler of Tonga.  We speak to Him in Euphemism like your Royal Highness, your majesty, and more.  We also respect our nobles.  They are the next rank.  We talk to them in euphemisms also but, different from the Royal family.  We respect and keep the Sabbath day holy in Tonga.  There are no stores open.  The airport is also closed.  The only place public open would be the hospital.  We also respect our fathers and our father's sisters.  We respect the elderly.  We respect the dead.  If someone passes away, the whole village gathers together and conduct awake, and then everyone goes to the cemetery for the burial.  It is a very taboo occasion in our culture.

Golden Sash number, two, is HUMILITY.  We are being trained since childhood to always be humble.  We will have a wedding, and we would hear the phrase, we have nothing to give as our gift to the groom, just a few mats to show our appreciation.  The reality is there are tons of gifts of all kinds, but we are being taught to be humble.

Golden Sash number three is PATRIOTISM.  When the king of ancient times was buried, some people just fall inside the tomb to be buried together with the king.  It is how much they would do anything for the country and their king.  My husband told me that while he was racing in a canoe race representing Tonga back in 89, one of the paddles of the rowers broke. The rules of rowing are that the fractured paddle is taken off, and the rower jumped off the canoe.  They were warned that the river they were racing on has a whirlpool.  The rower that jumped off said, " if I don't make it, please tell my family I love them."  The rowers on the canoe were crying yet still rowing for Tonga.  They came second in the race, and their friend was picked up by the boat that was following behind them.  You see, there are no mountains in Tonga, only in the hearts of the people.  Mate ma'a Tonga is the name of our Tongan National rugby league team.  There's 11 in the team.  All born and raised in New Zealand and Australia.  They are all professional players.  One of the team members is Will Hopoate, you can find out more about him here.   They all walked away from their million dollars teams to represent their impoverished country, who can't pay at least a fraction of their contract with other teams.  They vowed they will play for their country.  Mate stands for DIE or BE KILLED Ma'a means FOR Tonga for our poor Kingdom of Tonga.  The team members rather represent their roots than making millions.  You see, there are no mountains in Tonga, only in the hearts of the people.  The Tongans abroad when there's a game we gather together with our Tongan jerseys and cheer for the team.  When our Tongan national anthem is sung, we all stand and sing with the TV.  Our king was there, and we salute the king and the country from wherever we are.  It will always be our beloved home in the Kingdom of Tonga.  Here's a video made in tribute to our Mate Ma'a Tonga, who beat the Kiwi's for the first time ever in the history of time.  It's in Tongan, but I hope you enjoy it.  By the way, my husband Kali Fakatoulava Kinikini composed and sang with his brother Talifolaukovi Kinikini.

 This is Dinah Jane from Fifth Harmony singing the national anthem.  

Golden Sash number four is ZEALOUSNESS.  Everything is done with a passion.  We are poor, but we do everything with our might, mind, and soul.  We celebrate with everything we have.  We do everything to glorify our God, our king, and our country.

We don't have to be in Tonga to love our country and our culture.  We take our culture and our homeland everywhere.  We live our core values, it is what we are.  It is what makes us unique.  It is what makes us closer to God.  I am proud to be a Tongan.  God and Tonga are my Inheritance.

Ofaz to all!