Talanoa - Scholarly Commons Home

There are benefits of telling stories 2 . Through telling stories Tongan people know more
of their language, beliefs, values and culture.
Tongan people’s stories are broad and complex in purpose. Nevertheless, the stories
contain an agenda. When Tongans approach someone to tell stories, there are ideas in
mind and questions to ask and those are the agenda within the stories. As the stories are
told experiences are related, issues are discussed, other ideas arise and branch out from
the main stories which make the stories broad and complex.
Sometimes, telling stories takes hours because both parties are caught up with the
connections made in their stories. The stories are sometimes told metaphorically which
supports people who are participating in the storying to think deeply about the ideas
being discussed. After a discussion more ideas beyond those suggested are discussed. If
an issue is not fully discussed, then the issue is left for later discussion.
Now that Tongan people are migrating New Zealand, the traditional means of sharing
knowledge with their children is found only within the Tongan migrants and Tongan
immigrant communities. The knowledges of identity (knowing who a Tongan is and
how a Tongan practices traditions and customs) which hold the most cherished, the
most treasured values of Tongan migrants are less evident and too often seem lost to the
children.
How can we dig deep into those knowledges and values from the Tongan migrants? In
Tonga, there is no community library where Tongan literature is kept for Tongan people
to references. The library and the literature of the Tongan people are held within their
minds and their hearts. The only way to ‘a’au (to empty out) those knowledges (of
2 The benefits of story telling among Tongan people are: Tongan people’s migrations are related. The
daily issues and needs are addressed. The feelings are expressed. The parents’ techniques of teaching their
children informally at home are explored. The Tongan language, cultural values and beliefs are preserved.
The relatives and extended families are connected. The day to day aspects of life are organised. The
hearts of Tongans are constructed and the traditions of the culture are told. Tongan people are positioned
and their lives are structured.
3