PERFORMING TONGAN IDENTITY AND INDIGENEITY IN GLOBAL SPORTING EVENTS

Authors

‘Inoke Hafoka, Brigham Young University–Hawaiʻi
Arcia Tecun, University of Utah
Tēvita O. Ka‘ili, Brigham Young University–Hawai‘i
S. Ata Siu‘ulua, University of Auckland

Abstract

During the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, Tonga’s national team made it into the semifinals, unleashing a powerful spirit of Tongan identity across the globe. Drawing from the borderlands concept and the Tongan tāvā theory, we analyze intersecting tensions of identity and colliding contexts during the tournament. Tonga’s team (mostly composed of players who chose Tonga rather than playing for the nation-states of their birth) revealed the limits of national identities while reinforcing them. Indigenous performances of sipi tau (war challenge/posture dance) and ancestral memories of kasivaki (ancient Tongan sport), cultivated feelings of māfana (exhilaration) in players and fans. The feelings of māfana generated from performing Indigeneity within the borderlands context of the world stage revealed and transcended modern boundaries of identity. We argue that māfana, as a pre-Christian (Indigenous) Tongan spiritual phenomena, helps to identify and define performances of Tongan Indigeneity.

Recommended Citation

Hafoka, ‘Inoke; Tecun, Arcia; Ka‘ili, Tēvita O.; and Siu‘ulua, S. Ata (2023) "PERFORMING TONGAN IDENTITY AND INDIGENEITY IN GLOBAL SPORTING EVENTS," Pacific Studies Journal: Vol. 46: No. 2, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol46/iss2/2