Members of the Wellington Tongan Leaders Council and speakers at the Tonga Language Week opening church service at the Wellington Methodist parish on Sunday.
Wellington Tonga Leaders Council
Finding your identity, as a person of mixed Tongan heritage, can be challenging if you do not speak the Tongan language.
For Louise Murphy, the challenge is learning the language and the customs of Tongan culture.
Louise spoke at a church service, organised by the Wellington Tongan Leaders Council, to celebrate the beginning of Tongan language week.
Tongan Methodist Church minister Reverend Kisione Finau said that Tongan Language Week is an opportunity for Tongans to revisit their own understanding of their language and culture.
He said there are some Pacific communities who are beginning to see the erosion of their language and culture, which is a worry. Church services were also held in Auckland and Timaru to mark the opening of Tongan language week.
Louisa, an accountant, expressed sincere gratitude for her Tongan mother, who supported her in learning the language.
Her mother helped her write her speech, and helped her understand the importance of acknowledging and paying respect to community leaders.
“I asked Mum to help me prepare my introduction,” she said.
“She explained to me the importance of why these people are mentioned, and it reminded me that these experiences and opportunities like this are really important for my own learning.”
“Tonight, I really just want to share my own personal experiences with Tongan language and culture. I hope that will give some of you here tonight some encouragement and insights into my world, as well as topics I think are important and relevant to many of us living in Aotearoa.”
She said that gives her the opportunity to experience the culture differently.
Louise was born in the 1980s to a Tongan mother and Palagi father.
“For those of us Tongans growing up at that time in Wellington, we were just a small community. In fact, there was no weekly Lea Faka-Tonga. We just had our mothers and our families, who back then realised the importance of language and culture and got together to try to encourage us, the younger generation, to learn our language and our culture.”
“Mum always tried to speak to us in Tongan, but the hard part for us was speaking it back. I grew up in a Tongan church, the Tokaikolo Christian Church, and that is where I was exposed to many opportunities to practise Tongan through songs and services. Those were things we hated at the time, but as you get older, you appreciate them more.”
Louise said her experience as a mixed-heritage Tongan meant she had to navigate between two cultures. This was not always easy.
“Sometimes you wonder, where exactly do I fit? Am I Tongan enough? Am I Palangi enough? Do I speak enough Tongan? Do I know enough about my culture and the customs?
“Sometimes it can be challenging to reconcile and merge these worlds together. But what I have realised as I have gotten older is that I do not have to choose. I do not have to choose between the two worlds because both are special and I can carry them all with me.”
She said that is what makes “us all beautiful and unique, and this is exactly who God has intended us to be”.
“Reflecting on my own journey and my own language journey, I am not fluent in the language, but I am very grateful for what I do know.
“The reality for many families like mine and those even raising families in New Zealand is that passing on the language is a challenge, and this means that we need to be more intentional with our approach.
“We all have busy lives, and many households are made up of working families. The easy option for us is to speak English. So what I have realised, when I look back on my own time, is that what will truly make a difference for our younger generations is how we can speak the language in our homes and make it part of our daily lives.
“When you look at those of you in Tonga, it is a very different world. You are immersed in the language and culture every day.
“Every way of life encompasses the essence of what it means to be Tongan. There is always multi-generational learning, where you have grandparents’ experience and a way of living that reinforces that sense of belonging.”
Louise said for Tongans growing up in Aotearoa, they often have to seek out their language, culture and heritage.
These things are treasures that connect them to where they come from, who they are, and those who have gone before them.
Tongan Language Week runs from 16 to 22 August.
