ʻE Ikuna ʻa e Moʻoní

Naʻá ku tupu hake ʻi ha fāmili Siasi ʻi ʻIngilani, ko e fika valu au ʻi ha fānau ʻe toko hongofulu. Naʻe akoʻi kiate kimautolu ʻa e ongoongoleleí ʻe heʻemau ongomātuʻa faivelengá peá na tā ha sīpinga lelei. ʻI hoku taʻu 14 nai, naʻe kamata ke faingataʻa kiate au ke u ʻalu ki he semineli pongipongí, ke ʻalu ki he ngaahi kalasí mo e ngaahi faeasaití, mo kau ʻi he ngaahi ʻekitivitī ʻa e toʻu tupú. Naʻe ʻikai ke kau ki he Siasí ʻa e tokolahi hoku ngaahi kaungāmeʻá pea naʻe kehe ʻaupito ʻenau tuʻunga moʻuí mei he tōʻonga moʻui naʻe ohi hake ai aú.

Naʻe kamata leva ke u fai ha ngaahi fili naʻe ʻikai sai he naʻá ku fuʻu fie maʻu ke tatau mo hoku ngaahi kaungāmeʻá ʻo maʻu ʻa e fiefia ʻoku nau maʻú. ʻI he taimi ne hoko ai hoku taʻu 15, ne u māmālohi ʻi he Siasí. Pea ʻi he fakaʻau ke u toe lahi angé, naʻe fakautuutu ange ai ʻeku anga fakaemāmaní.

Ka ʻi he taimi tatau pē, naʻe kamata ke u ongoʻi ha meʻa ne tō mamafa ki hoku lotó. Naʻe kamata ke fonu ʻeku fakakaukaú ʻi ha ngaahi fehuʻi fekauʻaki mo e taumuʻa ʻo e moʻuí pea mo e ikuʻanga ʻo e tangatá. Ko e moʻui naʻá ku ʻilo ki muʻa mo pehē naʻá ku ʻofa aí ne kamata ke fakapoʻuli-lōlō, momoko, pea hoko ia ko ha feituʻu fakataʻe-lata. Naʻe ʻikai fiemālie kakato ʻeku moʻuí ʻi he ngaahi meʻa ne foaki ʻe he māmaní. Naʻá ku maʻu ha ongo ʻoku ʻikai totonu ke u ʻi hoku kolo tupuʻangá ka ʻi ha feituʻu kehe, ko ha ongo naʻe pehē ʻoku fie maʻu ke u fakahoko ha meʻa kehe ʻaki ʻeku moʻuí.

Hili ha ngaahi uike lahi ʻo e ngaahi ongo mo e ngaahi fakakaukau ko ʻení, ne u fakakaukau leva ke u lotu ʻo kole ha tokoni, ko ha fuofua taimi ia ke u lotu hili ʻeni ha vahaʻa taimi lōloa fau. Naʻá ku pehē ke u tatali kae ʻoua kuo poʻuli, pea mohe ʻa e tokotaha kotoa. Hili ʻeku lotú, naʻá ku fakakaukau mo fakafanongo, ka naʻe ʻikai ke hoko ha meʻa ia. Naʻá ku hokohoko fai pehē ʻi ha ngaahi uike kae fakafokifā pē kuo haʻu kiate au ha fakakaukau: mahalo he ʻikai tali vave mai ʻe he ʻOtuá ia ʻeku lotú koeʻuhí he naʻe ohi hake au ʻi he ongoongoleleí kae meʻapango he naʻe ʻikai ke u teitei fakahoungaʻi moʻoni ia ʻe au.

Naʻá ku liliu ʻeku foungá ʻi ha efiafi ʻe taha. Naʻe ʻikai ke u toe kole ha tali mo ʻamanaki ʻe ʻomi vave ia ʻe he ʻEikí, ka naʻá ku palōmesi ki he ʻEikí kapau te Ne tali mai, te u tauhi kiate Ia ʻo hoko ko ha faifekau. Ko e fuofua taimi ʻeni naʻá ku lotu ai ke u ʻilo pe ʻoku moʻoni ʻa e Tohi ʻa Molomoná, ʻa Siosefa Sāmita, pea mo e ngaahi akonaki ʻo e Siasí. Naʻá ku ongoʻi ha meʻa naʻe mātuʻaki mālohi pea ʻi he taimi tatau pē naʻe fakanonga peá u iku ai ʻo tangi ʻaloʻimata.

Naʻá ku ʻalu ki heʻeku pīsopé, ʻa ia ko hoku taʻoketé, ʻo kole ke u ngāue fakafaifekau. Naʻá ku manavasiʻi, ka naʻá ku ʻilo koeʻuhí kuo tauhi ʻe he ʻEikí ʻEne tafaʻaki ʻo ʻema aleá, kuo pau ke u tauhi haʻakú. Naʻe tafe ʻa e loʻimata mei he fofonga ʻo ʻeku pīsopé ʻi heʻeku fakamatala e meʻa ne u fouá.

Ne kamata ke u teiti mo Keli, ko ha kaungāmeʻa naʻe teʻeki ai kau ki he Siasí. Naʻá ku fakamatala ki ai ʻeku palani ke u ʻalu ngāue fakafaifekaú. Naʻe fakatokangaʻi ʻe Keli kuó u liliu pea fifili pe ko e hā hono ʻuhingá. Naʻe iku ʻo fai kia Keli ʻa e ngaahi lēsoni fakafaifekaú pea kau ki he Siasí, pea naʻá ku maʻu ʻa e faingamālie ke papitaiso mo hilifakinima ia. Naʻá ku fifili ʻi he taimi ko ʻení pe kuo kakato heni ʻeku fakahoko e ngāue fakafaifekau maʻá e ʻEikí. Naʻá ku fefaʻuhi mo e ʻamanaki ke u ʻalú, pea naʻá ku fakapapauʻi te u lotu ke ʻilo pe ko ʻeku mavahe meia Keli ʻo ngāue fakafaifekaú ko e meʻa totonu ia ke faí.

Naʻá ku fili leva ha kiʻi feituʻu ʻi he ngaahi tafungofunga ki ʻuta naʻe ʻikai ʻuluʻakauʻiá naʻe ui ko Setolouefi Tavisitouni, ʻa ē he ʻikai ke fakahohaʻasi ai aú. Naʻá ku ʻave ʻeku meʻatokoni hoʻataá, folofolá, pea mo ʻeku tohinoá peá u fononga, ʻo kaka ki ʻolunga ke lilingi atu hoku lotó ki heʻeku Tamai ʻi he Langí. ʻI heʻeku lotú, naʻá ku fakafanongo lelei ke maʻu ha tali, mahalo ke maʻu ha ongo fakanonga pe vela ʻi hoku lotó, ka naʻe ʻikai ke u ongoʻi ha meʻa.

ʻI heʻeku foki ki ʻapí, naʻá ku fakatokangaʻi ha ngaahi foʻi maka ʻi he kelekelé kuo fokotuʻutuʻu fakalelei ke sipela e kupuʻi lea “ ʻE Ikuna ʻa e Moʻoní.” Naʻá ku fakakaukau, “meʻa faikehe,” pea ngata pē ai. Ka, ʻi heʻeku fakamatala ki heʻeku faʻeé, naʻá ne talamai, “Ko hoʻo talí ia.”

ʻOku mou meaʻi, ko e taimi naʻe fuofua tūʻuta mai ai ʻa e kau faifekau ʻo e Siasí ki ʻIngilani ʻi he 1837, naʻe kamata ʻenau ngāué ʻi Pelesitoni. ʻI he taimi ko iá naʻe lolotonga fakafiefiaʻi ʻe he koló hono kātongaʻi ʻo e pule ʻa Kuini Vikatōliá. Ko e taimi naʻe hifo ai ʻa e kau faifekaú mei heʻenau salioté, naʻa nau fakatokangaʻi ha fuka ʻi ʻolunga naʻe pehē ai ʻi ha ngaahi mataʻi tohi mataʻāʻā “ ʻE Ikuna ʻa e Moʻoní.”

Naʻe hoko ia ko ha kupuʻi lea naʻe fakaʻaongaʻi lahi ʻi he Siasí pea naʻe hā ia ʻi ha ngaahi tohi lahi naʻe paaki. Naʻe tohi ʻe ha ʻeletā ʻe taha ki ʻInitiana, ʻi heʻene lipooti ʻene ngāue fakafaifekaú, ʻo pulusi ʻi he nusipepa ʻo Nāvū ko e Times and Seasons ʻi he1841 ʻo pehē: “Neongo kuo fili ʻe he ʻEikí ʻa e ngaahi meʻa vaivai ʻo e māmaní ke nau malanga ʻaki ʻa ʻene ongoongoleleí, ka ʻe ikuna ʻa e moʻoní, pea ʻe tupulaki ia.”¹

ʻI heʻeku falala ki he ʻEikí, naʻá ku fakahū leva ʻeku foomu ngāue fakafaifekaú. ʻI he hoko hoku taʻu 21, naʻe maʻu fakataha mai ʻeku ngaahi tohi talamonū ki hoku ʻaho fāʻeleʻí mo hoku uiuiʻí ke u ngāue ʻi he Misiona ʻIngilani Lonitoni Sauté. Koeʻuhí ko e ngaahi taʻu naʻá ku māmālohi aí, naʻá ku kei ongoʻi vaivai pē mo taʻe-feʻunga. Naʻe toki mahino kiate au ki mui ange ʻa e meʻa naʻe mahino ki he fuofua faifekau kimuʻá: ʻe lava ke ui ʻe he ʻEikí ʻa e ngaahi meʻa vaivai ʻo e māmaní ke ne malanga ʻaki ʻEne ongoongoleleí, ka ko e moʻoní kuo pau ke ikuna pea kuo pau ke tupulaki ia.

Naʻá ku ʻalu ʻi he tui ki he temipalé ke maʻu hoku ʻenitaumení. Ko e taimi naʻá ku hū mai ai mei he temipalé, naʻá ku fetaulaki mo ha ongo faifekau naʻá na ngāue ʻi hoku uōtí. ʻI heʻemau talanoá, naʻá ku fakamatala ange ʻa e meʻa naʻe hoko kiate au ʻi he feituʻu vaotaá. Naʻe malimali lahi ha taha ʻo e ongo ʻeletaá peá ne fakamatala mai ko e ʻaho teuteu ko iá, naʻe kaka ai mo hono hoá ki he feituʻu vaotaá pea ʻi heʻena aʻu atu ki ha konga ʻo ʻena fonongá naʻá ne ongoʻi lahi hono ueʻi ia ke ne fokotuʻutuʻu ha ngaahi foʻi maka ʻi he veʻe tafungofungá ʻo sipela ʻaki ʻa e kupuʻi lea “ ʻE Ikuna ʻa e Moʻoní.”

Naʻe tafe noa pē homau loʻimatá ʻi heʻemau ʻiloʻi ʻa e meʻa ne hokó. Ko kinautolu ʻoku nau maheni mo e feituʻu vaotā ko ʻení ʻoku nau ʻiloʻi ʻoku laulau maile ʻa e fanga kiʻi hala ʻi he feituʻu vaotaá ni. Ka ne u fili ʻa e feituʻu totonu naʻe fokotuʻutuʻu ai ʻe he ongo faifekaú ʻa e ngaahi foʻi maka ko ʻení. Naʻá ku ʻiloʻi ai heni naʻe tali ʻe he ʻEikí ʻeku lotu ʻi he tafungofunga ko ʻení ʻi he ʻaho ko iá.