Tonga

VulcanSpirit
Richard & Alison Brunstrom
Thu 20 Sep 2012 21:47
Here are some Tongans, dressed up for church:
 
 
Tongans of both sexes were distinctive mats called ta'ovala wrapped around their waists. This traditional garment, made from pandanus leaves, immediately distinguishes Tongans from all other Polynesians. The to'ovala is a item of formal attire, perhaps equivalent to a tie & jacket in the West. Tongan is an incredibly devout Christian society, the result of the usual interference by the London Missionary Society - but in this case one of the missionaries actually became Prime Minister and wrote the current Tongan Constitution in the 1870s. He was clearly bonkers even for a missionary, and was eventually deported by the British (Tonga was briefly a British Protectorate) as a troublemaker - but not before he had time to enshrine in the Constitution a ban on swimming on the Sabbath and several other weird ideas - contracts signed on a Sunday are void, for instance. 
Tonga is currently one of the most corrupt society on earth (3rd worst, apparently) - and as if to demonstrate it, it is the only place so far where an immigration officer has asked us for a bribe (a bottle of alcohol for his bad heart). The place is in the vice-like grip of an absolute monarchy and hereditary peerage (also enshrined in the Constitution by the mad clergyman) who retain all land. They are super rich while the commoners srape an existence by subsistance farming - the few businesses are in the hands of expats, or the superbly well organised Chinese. The towns are filthy dirty - the King and government have not seen fit to create a rubbish collection service, so everything is burnt or dumped. 
I could go on, but suffice it to say I didn't like the place. But a wonderful marine environment, largely unspoilt despite the almost complete lack of environmental protection legislation.