How The National Anthem came to Tonga

How The National Anthem came to Tonga

Long time ago there lived a Tongan islander girl. Her name was Umu. She was so good at rugby that her own school calls her tiger. They call her that because she is the only girl that can bump off a boy. On the other side there was her annoying mother Mele, she is a lady who likes to show off Umu’s majestic tau'olunga in front of the other special and rich ladies. Also her beautiful lovely grandma Kalo she has been in Tonga ever since so she knows everyone in Nuku’alofa. Umu has been watching rugby ever since she was a little fragile baby with her cousins. When Umu was growing up she had one thing missing that wasn’t right at that time. She screamed “THE NATIONAL ANTHEM!!!”

Next morning Umu kept thinking of the national anthem when she got to school everyone was cheering for Tonga because they won their first game, it was like a festival. People were yelling out “Mate ma’a Tonga” but on the other hand Umu felt lost. In her head she kept focusing on the national anthem. Umu quickly ran up to her friends and said “Did you guys notice that we don’t have a national anthem”

Her friends replied “Ummm you don’t even about care about the national anthem because you're called tiger, remember?”. Later it was getting dark so Umu walked home from school. Umu started thinking to make up a national anthem for Tonga. So she went to her mum but she said “‘Ikai!!!!! You have to practise you tau’olunga first”

Umu just grinned at her and just walked away so the only person she knew was her grandma, Kalo. Kalo was so busy with cooking lu sipi but then she saw Umu and yelled “Umu hau’u kehine did you need help with anything”.

So Umu asked her “Nana do you have any ideas because I want Tonga rugby to have an national anthem so that when they compete against another team they can sing it with pride”

Her nana said “You have to know who you are first”

Umu had no idea what she meant so she just wrote it down on her diary, and left saying “Malo aupito nana”. All night Umu stayed up just thinking of some lyrics just to start with. Umu wrote it like she was writing a goodbye letter, but she continued putting her failed pieces in the rubbish. Eventually she tried over and over again until she fell asleep snoring the whole night. Finally it was the next day she got up and looked at herself in the mirror and then “AHHHHHHHH”. Everyone got up to see what happened because they thought Umu was in trouble or something. Umu rushed out the door. While she was walking she heard an angel singing like she was free from everyone and everything. So Umu secretly hid and saw her swirling around with her white elegant dress like she was going to church. While she was singing Umu right away heard these words:

“Oh almighty God above, Thou art our lord and sure defense, As your people, we trust thee, And our Tonga thou dost love, Hear our prayer for thou unseen,

We know that thou hath blessed our land, Grant our earnest supplication, God save Tupou, our king.”

Umu thought of a great idea that she would translate it into Tongan words.

So she was singing it all the way home and her mum Mele heard her singing and said “Umu is that you”

Umu confidently replied “Yes it is me mum, I want to sing this song in front of my whole school”

Umu’s mum said “No because you will make yourself embarrassed in front of everyone how about a tau’olunga?”

Suddenly her grandma casually walked in the room was and she said “If it’s what you want to do then just do it”

Umu had to so….. The next morning it was school time and Umu rashly saw her principal and asked him “Sir for assembly can I sing a song”

The Principal said “Of course you can but remember the king Taufa’ahau Tupou is coming so make this your 100%”

So Umu was really excited and nervous at the same time because the king was coming. So it got to assembly time and they were just inviting King Tupou in their school. Umu got called up to sing and when she was walking everyone was so surprised. At last she got on the stage and looked up and she saw her mum and grandma in the crowd. She started to introduce herself confidently. So she started singing “ʻE ʻotua māfimafi, ko homau ʻeiki koe, ko koe ko e falalaʻanga, mo e ʻofa ki Tonga, ʻAfio hifo ʻemau lotu, ʻaia ʻoku mau faí ni, mo ke tali homau loto, ʻo maluʻi ʻa Tupou.”

When King Taufa’ahau Tupou heard his name in it, after Umu sung, King Taufa’ahau Tupou went up to her and said “You have a great voice great personality but can I use you song for our national anthem because Tonga doesn't have one, and we really need one”

Umu face is like shocked she yelled “YES! OF COURSE YOU CAN” everyone started cheering like she graduated. After all she saw her mum crying with tears because she didn’t believe that Umu could do it, but she believed in her so they both hugged each other. Meanwhile she saw her nana Kalo and she said to Umu “You have done it” Umu replied.

“Nana if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be here right now thank you nana so much malo aupito” So the day came Umu had to sing it in front of a whole bunch of people and sang her song for the national anthem everyone was recording it just got RIVAL!! 2 weeks later it was the Tongan rugby game and so Umu and her family watched it and from the start they sung her song and all the rugby players were crying because it was there first time having a national anthem thanks to Umu.  

Umu looked at watch she had done. She didn’t do it by herself she had courage from her nana and this is how the national anthem came to Tonga.

So this story took part in the Kingdom of Tonga. This was a long time ago when Tonga didn't even have a national anthem so there lived a teenage girl named Umu. She was a girl that loved to watch Tonga teams compete other countries. So she grew and grew growing older and she realised that "Tonga didn't have a national anthem" and so Umu made up the Tonga national anthem and now it has been Tonga's national anthem for a long time.