Tongans


Tongans

 

the indigenous population of the Tonga Islands, in Polynesia. They number about 98,000 (1974, estimate).

The Tongans are anthropologically and culturally related to the other Polynesian peoples. They speak Tongan, which is somewhat different from the other Polynesian languages. The Tongan culture has retained its original form to a significant degree, and the social structure is characterized by archaic features. The Tongans’ main occupation is land cultivation. Most Tongans are Methodists; there are also Catholics, Mormons, and Anglicans: