In the ceremony an ancient Tongan title called Tu'i Kanokupolu, that pre-dates the monarchy by centuries, passes to Tupou VI.

The coronation will take place on Saturday 4 July.

In 1845 an ambitious young warrior, strategist, and orator Taufaʻahau united Tonga into a kingdom.

He held the chiefly title of Tuʻi Kanokupolu, but had been baptised with the name Siaosi in 1831.

He was proclaimed king in 1845 after winning control of the monarchy from two other royal lines.

In 1875, with the help of missionary Shirley Waldemar Baker, he declared Tonga a constitutional monarchy; formally adopted the western royal style; emancipated the "serfs"; enshrined a code of law, land tenure, and freedom of the press; and limited the power of the chiefs.

US anthropologist Adrienne L. Kaeppler of the Smithsonian Institution said Tongans' attitudes towards the monarchy had changed over the years but there was still a deep affection for the royals.

Kaeppler said that for Tongans, the kava ceremony, or Taumafa Kava, is as important as the official coronation.

She said everyone is waiting to see the Western-style coronation.

"They're dressed like European monarchs, they have the cloaks of velvet and ermine, and crowns are put on their heads."

Last month a Tongan pastor said the coronation of King Tupou VI would be different from previous such events because the country has a more democratically elected parliament.

Reverend Simote Vea says most people in his generation have seen three coronations in their lifetimes but this year's coronation will see more commoners participating rather than watching from the sidelines.

"It's a new coronation in the sense that it's a new era now that we have a more democratically elected government and the government is prepared to host an exciting event meaning that it's the people who are involved in government now."

Source

• abc.net.au
• themalaymailonline.com
• wikipedia.org
• Image: japantimes.co.jp

A retired Methodist minister, D'Arcy Wood, has been chosen to place the crown on the king's head.

Wood lives in Gisborne, a town about 55 kilometers from Melbourne.

He was born in Tonga while his father A. Harold Wood was principal at the Free Wesleyan Church's college in 1924.

He told the paper that "I know the king from his time when he was the high commissioner for Tonga in Canberra in the 1990s — he and his wife were among many Tongans who came to the church I was the minister at."

The official eight-day coronation programme runs from 27 June till 7 July.

It will begin on Saturday with the king's investiture as the 24th Tu‘i Kanokupolu at a royal kava ceremony, the taumafa kava, at the Mala‘e Pangai Lahi.

The coronation service and ceremony will be held on Saturday, 4 July at the Centenary Church.

Between 27 June and 7 July the program includes a military parade, cultural performances and feasting.

The coronation celebration ends with a Military Tattoo on 7 July.

Source

• nzkanivapacific.co.nz
• heraldsun.com.au

The split in the church took place after Filimone Havili Mone, the former pastor of the Tongan United Methodist Church, was charged with failing to report child abuse.

The Rocky Mountain Conference removed Mone from his post in November, allegedly without any explanation to the church's congregation.

That led a majority of church members agreeing to change the name of the Tongan United Methodist Church to Salt Lake City Laumalie Ma'oni'oni Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, to elect a new board and modify its articles of incorporation.

The Conference sided with the minority members who remained with the Tongan United Methodist Church and opposed the changes.

In January Etimani Ma'Afu, was elected as president of the Tongan United Methodist Church, but not for the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The Free Wesleyan Church filed a legal challenge alleging that Ma'Afu was improperly claiming authority over the church's assets. The Conference filed a counterclaim asserting ownership and control of the church's charter and assets.

In April, the Conference and the Tongan United Methodist Church jointly sued the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga and its principals, alleging a breach of fiduciary duty in setting up their unaffiliated congregation.

Source

• The Salt Lake Tribune
• Image: The Salt Lake Tribune