Kanokupolu

Kanokupolu is a village on Tongatapu. The population is 354.[1] it is the originating seat (in the beginning of the 17th century) of the Tuʻi Kanokupolu dynasty, to which the current king of Tonga still traces his descent. The people of Kanokupolu are the only ones allowed to dress in a particular lakalaka costume, called the folaʻosi, when they perform this dance.

History

The village's name means "the flesh (the essence) of ʻUpolu" (Samoa). The name was given when Samoans led by Ngata, son of war chief ‘Ama, migrated to Tonga from Safata, Upolu after a heavy defeat in battle at the hands of the combined forces of Atua and A’ana. The expedition is believed to be the last great exodus of peoples from Samoa and, having arrived in the area now known as Kanokupolu, Ngata eventually rose to become Tu’i Kanokupolu and ruler over all of Tonga.

81 houses in the village were destroyed by Cyclone Isaac in 1982.[2]

References
  1. "PRELIMINARY RESULT TONGA POPULATION CENSUS 2021" (PDF). Tonga Statistics Department. 24 December 2021. p. 4. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  2. "Tonga: Chaos and questioning in the wake of Cyclone Isaac". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 53, no. 5. 1 May 1982. p. 15. Retrieved 6 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.

21°05′S 175°20′W


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