King Of Tonga Dies

 
gselvester
 
Avatar
 
 
gselvester
Total Posts:  2683
Joined  11-05-2004
 
 
 
10 September 2006 23:12
 

His Majesty King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV of Tonga died peacefully on September 10th in New Zealand. The Royal Arms of Tonga

http://excoboard.com/forums/18883/user/133625/204675.jpg

 
Donnchadh
 
Avatar
 
 
Donnchadh
Total Posts:  4101
Joined  13-07-2005
 
 
 
11 September 2006 00:18
 

RIP (I can say the Latin, but can’t spell it…)

 
arriano
 
Avatar
 
 
arriano
Total Posts:  1303
Joined  20-08-2004
 
 
 
11 September 2006 17:31
 

From this story, it seems as if he was not the greatest leader for his people;

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/10/tonga.king.ap/index.html

 
Michael F. McCartney
 
Avatar
 
 
Michael F. McCartney
Total Posts:  3535
Joined  24-05-2004
 
 
 
11 September 2006 23:38
 

The late King of Tonga, like most leaders, was liked by some and not by others.  He was an occasional visitor at the Methodist Church in Palo Alto, California when he visited this part of the US, especially the Stanford hospital.  (The state church in Tonga is Weslyan—essentially Methodist—& the kings & queens are crowned by their Methodist bishop.  There was a nice article in an old National Geographic years ago, coverning the King’s coronation & ending with him on a huge surfboard later that afternoon.)

There is a separate Tongan congregation which holds a Tongan language service in the Palo Alto church every Sunday afternoon.  Whatever their individual political leanings, the Tongan immigrant community (or at least those we see) apparently revered their king as a symbol of their national identity & pride.  We knew when the King was coming because the main aisle & the front of the sanctuary would be covered in tapa cloth, & hundreds of Tongan immigrants from all around the area would pack the church for the afternoon Tongan-language service.

 

Our Tongan brethren will mourn him.