"Walking Backwards Into The Future" - Tongan Views of Tongan Arts

Faiva, tufunga and nimamea’a are all highlighted in a new book that celebrates Tongan art and artists.

‘Sio FakaTonga ‘ae ‘Aati FakaTonga – Tongan Views of Tongan Arts’ marks an important milestone in Tongan scholarship after an epic 13 years of research.

Launched at Māngere Arts Centre, the book brings together over a decade of work by three leading Tongan scholars: Professor Hūfanga He-Ako-Moe-Lotu Dr ‘Ōkusitino Māhina, Associate Professor Māui-Tava-He-Ako Dr Tēvita Ka‘ili, and curator Kolokesa Uafā Māhina-Tuai MNZM.

For 13 years, the trio researched, debated, and collaborated to produce a text that restores Tongan perspectives on art.

Rather than relying on imported definitions, Sio FakaTonga sets out how Tongans themselves have understood creativity, past, present, and future. It is the first book of its kind to present Tongan arts comprehensively through Tongan eyes, making it a landmark contribution not just to the arts, but to Pacific knowledge as a whole.

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The book organises Tongan creativity into three long-established categories: faivā (performance arts), tufunga (material arts), and nimamea‘a (fine arts). Within these frames are the works of 41 artists, five collectives, and 11 revered masters who are no longer with us.

“This book, 'Sio Fakatonga ‘ae ‘Aati Fakatonga – Tongan Views of Tongan Art' is exactly what the title is. It provides our Tongan views on what art is and what art does, and also features artists of Tongan heritage.” – Kolokesa Uafā Māhina-Tuai

Time, Space, and Tā-Vā

Central to the book is Tā-Vā, the Tongan philosophy of time (tā) and space (vā). It’s a way of seeing that shapes how life, and by extension art, is organised.

“Everything we do is organised by time and space. The artist is marking time into space — organising it in a way that is harmonious and beautiful.” – Dr Tevita Ka’ili

“We don't travel in a linear way, but there's always the placing of the past in front. We're walking forward into the past and backwards into the future while mediating in the present.” - Kolokesa Uafā Māhina-Tuai

This cyclical approach challenges Western timelines and grounds Tongan art in continuity—every act of creation sits in dialogue with what has come before.

Expanding the Definition of Art

One of the book’s most striking interventions is its inclusion of activities usually labelled “sport” as part of the arts. Surfing, rugby, and boxing all appear under faivā, or performance arts.

 “In the time of our ancestors, surfing was called Faiva Fānifo – the art of surfing. Throwing the javelin was Faiva Sika. Even rugby today we call Faiva Akapulu. For us, what’s called ‘sport’ is actually performing art.” – Dr Tevita Ka’ili

By reframing sports as a performance art, Sio FakaTonga expands beyond old classifications and shows how Tongans have always understood art as broad, interconnected, and community centred, making it clear that art isn’t confined to galleries or museums. It’s on the field, in the waves, and alive in community gatherings.

“Art is a component of culture, and culture gives us meaning — connecting us to our ancestors, to our tipuna, to our tupu’anga. Even in the modern world, we still want to connect to our past.”

“I encourage everyone to look into their artistic traditions, cultivate them, and use them as a way to empower yourself — especially in times when we are marginalised. Our traditions are a source of strength.” – Dr Tevita Ka’ili

A Cultural Milestone

The book serves as a call to action to challenge and rethink what art means, placing Tongan views at the centre and to honour creativity as a living link to ancestry.

In this new resource, the authors have carved out space for Tongans everywhere to see their heritage reflected and respected and in doing so, they’ve offered a reminder that art is not just an object or an activity, but a way of being in time and space.

Information on where to purchase ‘Sio FakaTonga ‘ae ‘Aati FakaTonga – Tongan Views of Tongan Arts’  is available on the Lagi-Maama Instagram page.

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The Authors

• Professor Hūfanga He-Ako-Moe-Lotu Dr ‘Ōkusitino Māhina – pioneering Tongan philosopher and anthropologist whose work has shaped Pacific arts and scholarship for decades.
• Associate Professor Māui-Tava-He-Ako Dr Tēvita O. Ka‘ili – cultural anthropologist and leading scholar on Tā-Vā philosophy and Pacific identity.
• Kolokesa Uafā Māhina-Tuai MNZM – curator, writer, and advocate for Tongan crafts such as embroidery and crochet; appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2022.

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By Tu'i Manure Anric Sitanilei