Kingdom of Tonga

Thursday 24 June 2021

We are excited to present our third ‘Lagi-Maama Talanoa Thursdays’ with our esteemed panel of Indigenous ontologists and epistemologist: Maui-TāVā-He-Ako Professor Tēvita O. Ka’ili; Manuha’apai Vaeatangitau; and Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe-Lotu Professor ‘Ōkusitino Māhina.

And please find below three papers with insights from our three panellists on their critical thoughts and feelings around a selection of John Webber’s prints.

‘Ata: A Tāvāist Reflective Thinking and Emotive Feelings of the Images from Captain Cook

“In Tongan, ʻata is the Indigenous term for images and reflections, and the root word in ʻatamai, mind. For Tongans, ʻatamai (mind) is deeply anchored in the Indigenous philosophical notion that ʻata (images, reflections) of reality are presented independently to the self to process through fakakaukau (thinking, relating, and reflecting)….”.

Reflections on the images of John Webber during Captain Cook’s Final Voyage to Tonga…

 “I would like to, first, position myself in this talanoa. I do not consider myself an epistemologist or rather well-versed enough to ontologise the nature of our ancestors’ existence. I can only ever speculate in accordance with the knowledge I am given. To which, I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to those who have shared knowledge with me. That I have been afforded that much, the opportunity to partake in what many deem to be lost to pen and paper. Oral Tradition. As I respond to these images, I will draw upon stories shared with me over cups of tea and plates of food…”

Koe Sio FakaTonga ‘ae ‘Aati FakaTonga: Tongan Views of Tongan Arts: The Arts of John Webber

“The dispute between epistemology (ways of knowing) and ontology (ways of being) is over reality as we know it and reality as it is; the dispute is therefore not how we know what we know, nor where we know what we know, nor when we know what we know, nor why we know what we know, but rather what we really know…”