The Legacy of Names: From Tongan Culture to WWII Remembrance
In the Pacific, names hold power. Whether in the cultural heritage of Tonga or on the battlefields of World War II. The Washington Post’s journalist Michael E. Ruane once wrote about the acquisition by the US National Museum of the Marine Corps of World War II artifacts from Tarawa, Kiribati, including three wooden crosses bearing names of fallen Marines. His article intersects with the Tongan tradition of imbuing names with historical and spiritual significance.
The crosses, relics from Tarawa, where over 1,000 Marines perished in 1943, bear witness to the chaos and tragedy of war. They share a common thread with Tongan naming practices, where battlefield objects like ‘akau tau (war clubs) and kie hingoa (named mats) are named to show might, history, genealogy, and personal stories.