Aleamotuʻa
At home, she often conducted family worship, rising with the day-light, gathering her household together, giving out a hymn, leading the tune and engaging in prayer.
[6] Another record of the arrival of the missionaries and how they ended up in Nuku'alofa holds that at the beginning of 1826, John Davies chose two church members from Papara, Hape and Tafeta to be the first teachers to Lakeba and to prepare the way for others.
With the assistance of Takai and Langi, Davies compiled a Fijian spelling book which the two Tahitians used to gain initial familiarity with the language.
[11] A few days after Gross and Turner arrived in Nuku’alofa, Thomas wrote that Aleamotuʻa was in trouble with the other Tongan chiefs of Tongatapu, especially Ata and the Ha’a Ngata of Hihifo, the clan that carried out the installment ceremonies of the Tu’i Kanokupolu: Within six days after their landing, all the new missionaries' goods were brought ashore, and the vessel was on her way back again to Sydney.
Tubou helped them in every way; but soon found that he was getting into trouble, as the other Tonga chiefs, under cover of resenting his connection with the lotu, gave very angry expression to their jealousy of the advantages which would come to him through his white guests.
An assembly of chiefs was held near the Mission House at Hihifo, to discuss the matter; and in the end Tubou yielded on the understanding that, if he abandoned the lotu, he should be elevated to the royal dignity of Tui Kanokubolu, which made him supreme in the land.
G. G. Finlay, in the History of the Wesleyan Missionary Society, wrote: Tubou was the rightful successor to the throne of Tonga, which had been kept vacant after his brother's death for some years; he was a contented, unambitious man, or would earlier have claimed possession.
They offered to invest Tubou at once with the hitherto withheld title of Tui-kunabololu, which signified the regal dignity, provided he would refrain from the lotu.
What pledge Tubou gave to the electors it is imposible [sic] to say ; for the time he renounced his purpose, and held no open communication with the Missionaries.
Meanwhile guards were set over the houses of the Missionaries and of the lotu people, whose lives were threatened, while the king sent assurances to Turner and his helpers of his continued goodwill.
So soon as he felt himself secure in power the church was reopened and the Mission resumed its activities ; before the end of the next year King Tubou was baptized.
He was not a great ruler, nor a man of commanding force; but he had a kindly nature and honest intentions, and his conversion weighed not a little in favour of the lotu throughout Tonga.
He then assured the people and the Missionaries, that he had cast away everything he knew to be sinful, and that Jehovah was his God, and Jesus Christ his only Saviour; that he made an offering of himself, his wife, and children that day unto the Lord, that He might dispose of him and his as He thought good.
[14]Thomas also wrote, "On the Sunday after this canoe arrived, Tubou was baptized, and four of his children; and afterwards he was married by religious rite to Mary, who had been his only wife for some months past.
"[15] Dr. Reverend Heneli Taliai Niumeitolu wrote: Aleamotu‘a’s main worry was that the non-Christian chiefs would reject him as the possible successor to the title of the Tu‘i Kanokupolu.
He was baptised on 10th January 1830,taking the name of Josiah, together with his three sons and two daughters in the presence of a congregation of six hundred at the chapel in Nuku‘alofa.
[20]The want of faithfulness and decision on the part of the king, Josiah, was a source of incessant trouble and difficulty; and the spirit of the missionary at times was almost broken.
When they found that, after waiting some time, there were no signs of the expected gifts, they showed but little inclination to listen to the religious teaching of their visitor.
We have seen how the chiefs, unchecked by wise and firm restraint, forgot their duty to their King, and rose in open rebellion; so that poor Josiah, in spite of himself, was forced to go to war.
[citation needed] The first and most important was Aleamotuʻa's grand nephew, King George Taufa'ahau of Ha'apai and Vava'u, son of the 17th Tu'i Kanokupolu, Tupouto'a.
[4] Tupou Toutai was a chief of Nuku'alofa who was sent by Aleamotuʻa as an envoy to the north in order to ask Taufa'ahau of Ha'apai and 'Ulukalala of Vava'u to turn to Christianity.
So, after suffering much from persecution, they removed to an uninhabited part of the land, about three miles from Hihifo, cleared away the bush, and built temporary houses.
When Mr. Thomas paid them his first visit, he preached to them from Matthew v. 10—12 : Christ's blessing on those who are persecuted for righteousness sake; and he rejoiced to find them, in their half-finished houses, happy witnesses of the Saviour's faithfulness to the word of promise.
Moeaki's invitation to the Catholic faith in 'Uvea and Aleamotuʻa's approval for Father Chevron to land and visit him on Tonga Tapu brought Christianity there.
Each, in token of humility and submission, wore a wreath of the leaves of the Ifi tree, while a traditional priest interceded for them in the name of their gods.
The mission-house, first occupied by Thomas fifteen years before, had been pulled down after Rabone left, leaving Wilson and his family to accept shelter in a native house.
The Chiefs chose King George Taufa'ahau of Ha'apai and Vava'u, Aleamotuʻa's grandnephew and son of his predecessor, Tupouto'a, the 17th Tu'i Kanokupolu.
[34] Aleamotuʻa's achievement was to turn his people to the Christian faith, regardless of whether they were from London Missionary Society, or were Methodist or Catholic, or were Islanders or Europeans.
His unselfish request for assistance and choosing his grandnephew King George Taufa'ahau of Ha'apai and Vava'u as his protector and successor unified Tonga under the Christian Faith.
In 1927, Niumeitolu's son, Tonga Liuaki (meaning "Tongan who returned") was installed by HM Queen Salote Tupou III with the title Fielakepa, chief of Havelu and member of the Ha'a Havea Lahi clan.
