‘E tu'uloa 'a e Lea faka-Tongá 'o ka lea'aki 'i 'api, siasí (lotú), mo e nofo-'a-kāingá
The Tongan Language will be sustainable when used at home, church and in the wider community.

Tulou atu, ka e ‘atā ke u kau atu he pué, ‘i hono kātoanga’i ‘o e Uike Lea Faka-Tonga ‘o e 2024. ‘Oku ou lau monū mo e tāpuaki ‘i he faingamalie kuo u ‘inasi ai ke vahevahe ki he’eku a’usia ‘i he’eku tupu haké pea pehe ki he ngaue’anga ‘oku ou fakahoko fatongia mei ai, ‘a ia ko e Misiume Fakafonua ‘o Tonga mo e Potungaue Takimamata mo e Folau’eve’eva.
Mālō e lelei! I am Milika Pomana from the villages of Vaini and Niutoua, Tongatapu. I am a proud; born and raised, Tongan woman. Apart from the years I spent in Aotearoa for; undergraduate – at Massey University, Palmerston North and graduate studies – at Auckland University, I have lived and worked in Tonga all my life.
It is an honour to be invited to share a little of my background and experiences in this platform, in celebration of this year’s Tonga Language Week in Aotearoa with the theme: The Tongan Language will be sustainable when used at home, church and in the wider community. A theme that I whole heartedly agree with and support.
My family speaks Tongan at home so I grew up speaking only Tongan. It was only when I started high school at Tonga High School, that I had to speak English while at school. Our church; the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga at Vaini, conducts its services and all programs in Tongan. And as with any extended family celebrations and gatherings or a village fono by our chief – Lord Ma’afu; Tongan is the language of communication. Needless to say, I live and breathe the Tongan language and I am very proud that I can speak and write fluent Tongan.
I currently work as the curator of the Tonga National Museum in Nuku’alofa. A big part of the work that I do involve frequent community engagements and talanoa with the people, especially those who are knowledge holders and custodians of our koloa tukufakaholo (treasures and cultural wealth). Being fluent in Tongan gives me the confidence to talanoa and address the audience that I speak to in a manner befitting of our cultural protocols and norms, brining to mind the faa’i kavei koula upholding Tongan society; faka’apa’apa, mamahi’ime’a, feveitokai’aki and lototō. Work has also enriched my knowledge of the Tongan language, in terms of learning and knowing of the names of our koloa, and koloa acquired for the museum often come with Tongan care instructions from custodians. These in turn evoke the need for further research as I often come across new and unfamiliar Tongan terminologies and epistemologies. These are aspects of my work that have kept me motivated and captivated with the work that I do. I find acquiring new knowledge exciting because I could in turn give back to the people, by sharing my knowledge of our rich cultural heritage and tell our stories through the displays at the Museum.
As a big advocate for cultural heritage safeguarding and preservation; I know that the language is an integral part of one’s culture and heritage and wishes for it to be sustainable.
Once again – fakamalo lahi atu for including me in Auckland Museum’s celebration of this year’s Tongan Language Week. ‘Ofa atu