KOLONGA IN THE VILLAGE - LOTOPOHA IN AUCKLAND
BY FAKA’OSIFONO VALEVALE AND TEENA PULU
Our ‘home’ rugby team is named after our village, Kolonga, a rural faming community of 1800 people, all family, all related, mostly youth under twenty-five years, set in the Eastern District of Tongatapu, Kingdom of Tonga . Our village rugby team in Auckland is named Lotopoha after a historical site in Kolonga social memory, a sacred place where warriors ritually executed and consumed their enemies. Kolonga in the village; Lotopoha in Auckland . The recalling of people and place for Kolonga families in global diaspora is a strategy for sustaining village identity through sport – rugby union, Tonga and New Zealand’s national sport.
Photograph 1: Lotopoha 2007, Kolonga village rugby team in Auckland at a team talk after a match played in the Jonah Lomu Cup, the Auckland Tongan annual tournament held from November to January.
Kolonga rugby has gone global to reflect the social landscape of our village – a global village located at ‘home’ in Tonga and in diaspora; approximately 3,000 in New Zealand and clusters in the US – Hawaii, California and Utah, with Australian kinfolk mainly in Sydney and eastern cities. Capacity building village rugby in Kolonga to produce export-players for overseas clubs is the latest development priority that speaks pride and profession to a new generation of kin. At its best, rugby is a livelihood, a professional career in New Zealand , Australia , South Africa , Japan and the European Continent including the British Isles . And we would be astute to suggest that Kolonga rugby has gone global, is in the process of migrating overseas, because this is an income-generating opportunity for our young men and their families at ‘home.’
However, there is a point of difference that gives Kolonga rugby exported overseas its competitive edge in the international market. By this, the motivation that inspires players to succeed and the kinship ties that bind Kolonga globally – from rural roots to city living – is a testament to sustaining village identity.
Lisiate Fa’aoso, twenty-four year old lock (no. 4) contracted for three-years to Manawatu in the Air New Zealand Cup explained his incentive for striving to reach his peak performance. “I want to achieve my best performance in my rugby career and be a positive role model for young up-and-coming players from Kolonga. If Kolonga have one boy from the village playing pro-rugby in New Zealand then we will have a role model for youth to look up to and other boys will follow, they will see that we can make it to that level.”
Photograph 2: Cousin, Pila Tea, pacing behind Lisiate Fa’aoso in a 2,000 metre time-trial at Auckland Domain for Kolonga summer training 2007. In 9-weeks, Lisiate lowered his time for this distance by over 1-minute.
No stranger to hard work at training and play, Lisiate arrived in New Zealand after representing Ikale Tahi , Tonga ’s national team for two-years. Branding his style of play overseas – hard and physical – nurtured at grassroots, polished at national level and exported overseas, is the Fa’aoso trademark which speaks pride in being village, being Kolonga on a world stage.
Lisiate’s will to be village overseas has been infectious, enthusing New Zealand-born Kolonga kin to play for Lotopoha – Kolonga in Auckland. At the Jonah Lomu Cup, Auckland ’s annual Tongan rugby tournament held during summer from November – January, seventeen year old lock for his high school First IX at Southern Cross Campus, Semisi Ahoafi, played first-five-eighth (no. 10) for Lotopoha. The 2006-07 competition play-offs between Tongans in Auckland saw teams being village-bound like Kolonga and Hihifo, others Church-oriented like Toloa Old Boys, while some community-based like West Auckland Tongans. Semisi’s enthusiasm to play for Kolonga in Auckland prompted his Father, Feleti Ahoafi, to rekindle village ties to support his son. “It was my son that brought me back to Kolonga. He wanted to play for Lotopoha. He told me, ‘C’mon Dad, take me to training so I can play for our village.’ When I came to New Zealand I didn’t want to be Kolonga. I left that in Tonga , got on with my life here. But it was my son that brought me back to Kolonga. I’m thankful to him.”
Photograph 3: Left is Semisi Ahoafi, 17 year old first-five-eighth for Lotopoha lined-up at Kolonga summer training at Auckland Domain 2007 with fellow kinsmen and pro-rugby players. Next to Semisi is Lisiate Fa’aoso – Manawatu lock (no. 4), Douglas Howlett – Auckland Blues, Auckland Province and All Black winger (no. 14) and Phillip Howlett, Doug’s big brother who represented Tonga in rugby league. In front of the Howlett brothers is their 8 year old nephew, Rewi Maniapoto Amoamo, an aspiring pro-rugby winger who wants “to be like my Uncle Doug” and who also intends to “play for Tonga like Lisiate.”
Aside from the camaraderie shared among rugby players who have worked together over Kolonga summer training 2006-07 or have played for Lotopoha, represented the village in Auckland, is the mentoring that is socially transacted between generations of family who as well as their sporting expertise pass on their knowledge of being Kolonga overseas.
Kolonga summer training affords village-kin in Auckland structured preparation in fitness, basic skills and team strategy for the up-coming rugby season, a programme designed and facilitated by Tonga national sprinter, Semi Pulu. During his athletics career, Semi won two silver medals in the 100 and 200 metres for Tonga in the 1969 South Pacific Games and still holds Tonga’s record for the 200 metres at 21.01 seconds, a record set in 1967 unbroken for forty-years. Dedicating his life’s work in New Zealand to athletics and rugby as a sprinter, winger and coach, Semi is looking to return home to Kolonga to “give back” to the village where he was born and raised. “I’ve done my part to help Tongans in New Zealand for athletics and rugby. I’ve trained my nephew Doug [Howlett] since he was thirteen. I’ve helped train the Tonga development squad in Auckland where Sione Lauaki and Sam Tuitupou came out of. I’ve trained Lotopoha and our family here [at Kolonga summer training in Auckland ]. It’s time for me to give back to Tonga, especially helping Kolonga to get a sports academy going because sports nowadays you can make a living out of it.”
Photograph 4: Athletics and rugby coach Semi Pulu (right) with his nephew Fetaiaki Pulu at Kolonga summer training in Auckland 2006-07. Fetaiaki plays centre (no. 13) for his high school First IX, Dilworth College .
Semi Pulu’s nephew, Douglas Howlett – All Black, Auckland Blues and Auckland Province winger (no. 14), sees value in capacity building Kolonga participation and success in professional sport, particularly rugby union, by establishing a village-located academy focused on producing export-players. “I’ve been talking to Uncle Semi about this and it sounds good. What I’ve always lived by is if it’s meant to be, it’s up to me. If I’m meant to be an All Black then it’s up to me to do the training and work hard to achieve my goals because no one else is going to come and do it for me.” A world-class athlete’s sporting philosophy on achieving career goals applies not only to Doug’s profession, rugby union, but are words of wisdom that explain how to be successful in life – experiential wisdom that he shares with the younger generation of his Kolonga family.
When eight year old Rewi Maniapoto Amoamo, Semi Pulu’s grandson and Douglas Howlett’s nephew, was asked who were his role models, that is, the people in his life whom he looks up to, his response was thoughtful and candid. “My Granddad [Semi Pulu] sprinted for Tonga and he’s a fast winger. Uncle Doug’s a sprinter and [an] All Black winger. I’m a fast winger too. I want to be like my Uncle Doug, an All Black like my Uncle Doug [Howlett], or play for Tonga like Lisiate [Fa'aoso]. I’m half-bush so I can play for Kolonga too. The key to playing rugby is fast reactions, just like car racing.”
Photograph 5: All Black winger Doug Howlett spending quality time at Kolonga summer training with his eight year old nephew Rewi Amoamo. Training together with “my Uncle Doug” is an effective way for a world-class athlete and fantastic Uncle to be a mentor and role model for his young nephew.
Rewi’s words were crisp and clear about who were an important influence in his life – his Kolonga family, Granddad Semi and Uncle Doug as well as his village kinfolk, Lisiate Fa’aoso. A child’s reference to being half-bush was intended as a statement of pride in knowing where you are from, valuing one’s village roots in global diaspora and connecting with others from the same kin-based society to which you belong. Although the term ‘bush’ may connote a put-down, the implication that rural villages produce country bumpkins not city slickers, Rewi’s self-identification as being half-bush was a declaration of people – ‘My’ people, place – ‘My’ village, and belonging – ‘I’ belong here in this village to these people. His rural roots in an Eastern village on the island of Tongatapu can be traced, most definitely, to the people whom he holds nearest and dearest – his role models who are Rewi’s family, kin and affine from Kolonga.
In this global landscape of IT communication that becomes obsolete before it reaches those living outside of the developed world, it is inspiring to see that some things, perhaps small things, still matter to those of ‘Us’ descended from rural villages on coral islands in the big blue ocean. It may be that the small things in this big world – like kinship ties to rural villages – are really the B I G things that matter most in our busy bustling lives. Kinship can provide a significant source of motivation to succeed.
For us, the co-authors, the social fact that our Kolonga kin born-and-raised in Tonga and in New Zealand are willing to work together to support each other’s high-achievement in sport is evidence that village identities are sustainable, transferable and sharable – from rural roots to city living and beyond into future generations.
I want to achieve my best performance in my rugby career and be a positive role model for young up-and-coming players from Kolonga. If Kolonga have one boy from the village playing pro-rugby in New Zealand then we will have a role model for youth to look up to and other boys will follow, they will see that we can make it to that level.
LISIATE FA’AOSO
My Granddad sprinted for Tonga and he’s a fast winger. Uncle Doug’s a sprinter and [an] All Black winger. I’m a fast winger too. I want to be like my Uncle Doug, an All Black like my Uncle Doug, or play for Tonga like Lisiate. I’m half-bush so I can play for Kolonga too.
REWI MANIAPOTO AMOAMO
CO–AUTHOR FAKA’OSIFONO VALEVALE
Fono is from Kolonga and is a national sportsman having represented Tonga in rugby league and cricket.
CO–AUTHOR TEENA PULU
Teena is a NZ-born descendent of Kolonga conducting post-doctoral research with the BRCSS network.
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