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[Foreign Language] [Background Chanting] The god Maui, legendary throughout Polynesia for strength and fearlessness, cast his fishing hook deep into the Pacific Ocean and, with divine might, pulled out our island kingdom of Tonga.
Explore Tonga's traditional healers, kau faito'o, preserving ancient healing arts alongside modern medicine in contemporary society.
Key Takeaways
- Traditional healing remains vital in Tonga despite Western medical presence.
- Healing knowledge is transmitted through family lineages and apprenticeships.
- The kau faito'o healers emphasize healing as a sacred, unpaid gift from God.
- Sustainable use of natural resources is integral to traditional medicine preparation.
- Traditional and Western medicine coexist, complementing each other in healthcare.
Summary
- The video introduces Tonga's rich history and cultural heritage, highlighting its oral and written histories.
- It focuses on traditional healers known as kau faito'o, who continue to practice native healing despite Western influences.
- Midwives, or ma'uli, play a crucial role in prenatal care using traditional massage and herbal oils.
- Healing knowledge is passed down through generations, exemplified by Kiu Anitoni and her daughters.
- Traditional medicine is viewed as a divine gift and healers do not accept payment, emphasizing gratitude and gift-giving.
- The preparation of herbal medicines involves sustainable harvesting practices and ancestral recipes.
- Massage therapists treat common injuries among children and youth, aiding recovery with botanical oils.
- Traditional healing is integrated with Western medicine, addressing healthcare gaps in Tonga.
- Fertility specialists like Mele Mahi use ancestral knowledge and local plants to assist couples.
- The video underscores the importance of cultural preservation and the role of healers in Tongan society.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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[Background Chanting] Tonga is a nation of 170 islands, [background sound] two-thirds of the way between Hawaii and Australia.
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Our islands have seen many changes since our seafaring ancestors first landed on our shores some 3,500 years ago.
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Our oral histories tell of turbulence caused by wars and invasions. [Drum roll] Our written histories record the upheaval caused by the arrival of trade ships and Christian missionaries in the 17th century.
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Our recent history documents the changes brought by Queen Salote's four-decade reign when she stopped foreign business from entering the country.
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Today, we see even more change with the influx of automobiles driving on western-styled roads, playing American rap music [background music] on FM national radio.
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We are a proud people with familial bonds to the land. [Background sound] We believe that through loyalty to kinship and through the mercy of God, we continue to retain and own our sovereignty.
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Our independence has helped us maintain and nurture sacred traditional practices. [Background Foreign Language] In spite of Christian biases and western medicine's attempt to disregard our native healing practices, traditional healers known as kau faito'o continue to play an integral part in contemporary Tongan society.
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[Pause] [Background Sound] Our children are first acquainted with Tongan medicine, faito'o fakatonga, when in the womb.
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They are soothed by the hands and voice of the ma'uli, or midwife, as she massages the mother's stomach and assures her about the new life within.
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[Foreign Language] Kiu Anitoni is a ma'uli who comes from a legacy of at least five generations of midwives.
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Although there is a lack of written history, it is likely that midwives had been in her family for centuries.
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She too has shared this knowledge with her two daughters, Kolo and Lamona. [Background Sound] [Foreign Language] None of the healers you will see accept payment for their services.
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[Background sound] The ability to heal is believed to be a gift from God. To charge money for it would be shameful.
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In direct contrast to the western policy of services rendered and payment made, the Tongan way is one of gratitude and gift-giving upon successful completion of treatment.
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[Background foreign language] Kolo, Kiu's elder daughter, explains the process of delivery. [Foreign Language] [Background Foreign Language] The standard treatment given to patients by a midwife is a massage of Tongan oil, which is a mixture
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of coconut oil and herbal extracts. The ma'uli applies the oil to the expectant mother's stomach and lower back.
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[Background Sound] These women participate in daily labors and duties such as weaving of mats, cooking, and washing cloths in addition to their responsibilities as a healer.
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[Background foreign language] Kiu is 83 years old. As a young mother, Kiu apprenticed with her mother.
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[Bird chirping] When her mother passed away, Kiu began her own practice. Expectant mothers from Ta'anea and other nearby villages visit Kiu for consultation and to receive the massage treatment referred to as Hiki kete.
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Many people find themselves balancing between traditional and western-style medicine. The healers see the value of both [background foreign language] systems and quietly work, servicing those aspects of healthcare that remain underserved by the western system.
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Lamona and Kolo learned how to be midwives by watching their mother practice from the time they were little girls.
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When Lamona and Kolo became mothers, they began apprenticing with Kiu until they were proficient enough to practice on their own.
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[Foreign Language] [Background Sound] Sione Anitoni, Kiu's husband, assists her by making the vai haka she will prescribe to her patients.
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Along the years, he will send family members like his son-in-law Simione [phonetic] on frequent visits into the bush to harvest the barks that he uses for making medicine.
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[Background sound] Simione carefully removes just enough bark for his needs. Enough bark is less to allow the tree to regenerate without any harm.
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[Pause] [Birds Chirping] [Noise] [Background Sound] Sione follows directions that have been handed down from generations through Kiu's family, scraping, boiling, chopping, straining, mixing.
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Sione brews the medicines necessary for his family and his community. [Water splashing] The medicine is made from the bark of several trees including toi, manonu, nonu, loupata, and tau.
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[Foreign Language] [Water Splashing] [Background Sound] Little babies are so fragile.
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It is our responsibility to protect them and give them the very best care we can.
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The healer knows how to make the ancient recipes for mixing plants and herbs to make medicine for the baby.
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Here, several mothers have brought their babies to Faleata, a specialist in baby care. She extracts the medicines she needs from plants such as lautolu tahi.
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[ Babies Crying ] [Foreign Language] [Background Sound] Children will be children wherever you go in this world.
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On our island, our children are encouraged to play hard and grow strong. Unfortunately, childhood is full of hazards, but we in Tonga are prepared for that.
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Massage therapists assist in the healing of bruised muscles, sprained joints, broken bones, and abrasions common among our young ones.
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This is Viliami Ate Maile, a well-respected massage therapist in the village of Sopu. He learned his healing skills from his father who, in turn, learned from his Fijian mother.
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Historically, alliances in war and intermarriage brought about an exchange of healing arts between Fijian healers from the Lau Island group and Tongan healers.
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This morning, Viliami is visited by a father and his young boy [dog barking]. The boy injured his elbow [rooster crowing] while playing with friends.
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Now, it is up to Viliami to help him heal correctly. Anciently, an injury such as this could ruin a boy's future on the island.
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A boy who could not fish or farm became a burden on a village. While he was still cared for by his family, he was not considered fit for marriage or starting a family on his own.
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The massage therapist, therefore, was a vital part of every village. [Background Foreign Language] The massage helps relax and strengthen the muscles around the injured elbow.
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A little discomfort now will pay off with a healthy arm in the future. [Boy Crying] This is a teenager who broke his leg while playing rugby.
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Viliami is concerned not only about the injured muscles and joints but also about the possibility of infection.
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[Background Foreign Language] Before the days of modern medications, the massage therapist was instrumental in staving off infections that would otherwise cripple or kill a patient.
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[Background Foreign Language] The boy tries his best to hide his pain. In Tonga, the ability to withstand physical pain is still an important part of our culture.
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The distressed look on his face conceals the true agony he must feel as tender muscles and raw wounds are rubbed.
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The massaging helps improve circulation and reduce the time needed for healing. The oils contain botanical extracts that promote healing while killing infection.
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As Tongan youth reach adulthood, they are expected to marry. Anxious grandparents want grandchildren, and few parents wait long to begin their families.
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Children are the treasure of their parents, and when a couple has problems with pregnancy, they seek out the help of a fertility specialist.
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Mele Mahi is a traditional fertility specialist. Mele is 68 years old and learned to be a healer from her grandparents who practiced in the island group of Ha'apai.
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On this afternoon, a young couple, along with an anxious mother-in-law, comes for a visit.
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[Foreign Language] [Background Sound] Using local plants and following ancie
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The medicine consists of heilala and uhi leaves rubbed together and then mixed with the meats of an old coconut.
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The medicine should taste a little sour. [ Foreign Language ] [ Water Splashing ] Mele strains the medicine through lemon grass and then through a piece of cloth.
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[ Foreign Language ] [ Water Pouring ] The young couple drinks their medicine and take the remainder with them in a bottle.
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[ Noise ] They, like many hopeful young couples, have faith in the knowledge and experience of the fertility expert.
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For many couples, the treatments prove effective and the childless return generation after generation. As certain as the sun must rise, it must also set.
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[Waves rolling] For us in the evening of our lives, we have no fear. There are beautiful things to be experienced at the sunset that cannot be seen at any other time of day.
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Old age strikes us here on Tonga like it does all people. We have no cure for that.
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But we do not fear growing old here. The elders hold a place of respect within the community.
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[Background sound] Besides, what a joy it is to see your many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
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With age comes another advantage, experience.
Topics:Tongatraditional healerskau faito'oTongan medicinemidwivesherbal medicinemassage therapycultural preservationPolynesiaindigenous healing
