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Show Born In The Tongan Islands - Friendly Isles To The Friendly Valley For Afei and harmonize and dance almost as soon as they learn to speak and walk. I early became a part of a more advanced group of dancers and have performed before the King of Tonga, King Tupou IV, and at various celebrations such as for the previous Queen Salote, the present King Tupou V and the Queen of England when she visited there in From the South Sea friendly islands to the friendly valley of the Great Salt Lake is the course the life of Afei Taulalo Finau has taken. His life began in the quiet village of Mua, Tatakomotonga, Tonga, in the midst of an island family of parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and other more distant, yet still close relatives. They extended family shares love, concern, possessions and time The gentle Tonganese with his family have been Utah residents for the past 10 years and his artists eye is entirely responsible for the beautiful display of fruits and vegetables to be seen in a certain super market in Murray. 1963. I was commissioned by the King to tour the islands of Tonga to teach the native dances, mostly the tradi- tional lakalaka and the taolunga which are romantic dances for men and women. The dancer, he tells us, wear flowers or feathers in their hair and the women wear bright color Lofutaolunga (dresses), or a wrapping of tapa cloth around their torso. The men wear a costume made of long leaves and around their necks a garland of flowers like the Hawaiian lei. One of the most prestigious dance forms is the lakalaka, a standing rite performed on special occasions as a tribute to the nobility or government authority. It is a highly integrated art form, and those who can understand, see the blending of poetry, dance all interwoven with the strains of the music. Singing is part of this dance and graceful hand movements tell a story which is planned to make the blood surge and the heart glad. When early Europeans first came to the friendly islands they brought West Valley City, UT. the piano, organ, brass band and the guitar, but it was the guitar which was accepted and became used extensively in hiva kakala, the light island music. More traditional music includes the conch shell, trumpet, wooden slit gong gong, lali (one or two sticks beaten), the nose flute and a leatherheaded drum originally from Samoa and called a nafi. The lali is used by being placed in front of a church and beaten to signal the approaching time for services or to call the people together for any important function. Food has an importance to my far beyond people, Afei shares, mere nutrition. Our ideals of goodwill and respect toward others finds one of its highest expressions in food offerings, whether at a feast to honor someone or as a gift on special occasions. This native is highly sought after for luaus here in the valley. The traditional way, which I follow, is to dig a pit in the ground, build a fire in it and add rocks so they will get very hot. While that is going on the pig is prepared and cleaned very well. When the coals are ready, I wrap some of the hot rocks in leaves and place them inside of the pig. The pig is then placed on a screen and lowered into the pit. Yams and taro (grown for its edible root) are also put into the pit and West Valley View Thursday, Sept. 25, 1980 around the waist over their other clothing. Many of these very special mats are extremely old and have been kept as heirlooms for several hundred years. The traditional Tongan home is called a fale which is made of coconut leaves and the trunk of the coconut tree. The fale usually has a living area, one or more sleeping areas separated by tapa cloth which is made from the bark of the mulberry tree. So what do we really miss? Well, seriously Afei replies, the family, of course, and the good companionship we had where everyone knew everyone else. But, while that small Pacific island remains a dream of paradise to me . . . Utah, from now on, is our home and we love it here. Specialty oft ITALIAN SPAGHETTI DINNER Displaying just some of the many pieces of traditional wall hangings from his native Tonga is Afei Finau, who now makes his home here in the Salt Lake valley. delicious. perfectly Other typical Tongan food includes from Tonga, of watermelons in the produce department of the Green Sheet area grocery store where he works. Afei Finau, who sorts through is selection Afeis father, Henele Toupili Finau is a fisherman and farmer in Tonga and also makes beautiful jewelry from polished turtle shells and adorns it with inlayed silver designs. His mother, Lile Movete Finau, makes lovely Tapa clothes, sews all the clothing for the family, weaves mats, purses and baskets. She is also, this shy man grins, a most excellent cook. Following his fathers footsteps Afei learned early how to fish. They make a torch (or use a lantern) and go out on the sea in a small boat at night. It is a fine art. Afei tells, as you must hold the light in one hand and spear the fish with the other. The fish we catch are a big part of the islands economy as well as an important part of our daily meals. Singing and dancing, he goes on, is so much a part of our island culture that all people learn to sing The artistic talents of Afei Finau were first fostered in his native Tonga, but now find one expression is his displays of fresh fruits and vegetables in a local food mart. then it is covered well with banana leaves, finishing off with a carpet over the leaves. Jelly Only then, Afei relates, is the There are four essendirt placed back on top of the carpet tial ingredients in makand the leaves so that the meat is ing a jellied fruit proNow, Career Clothing tor the woman 57" duct fruit, pectin, acid kept perfectly clean. In two hours . . or taller who wants qualit and flexibility in if the heat of the rocks has been exher business wardrobe and sugar. actly right ... the meat is fully cookTall Sizes 8 to 22 ed with a distinctive smoked flavor Golden Goodness Yellow Newtown is and according to Afeis wife Jan, it is an apple that is available from February until June and is medium, Downtown Salt Lake Fashion Place Mall yellow, juicy, moderately tart, hard and crisp. Tall Sizes - . Dahles Patriotic Program Scheduled For English Fort DUP Tuft a SAFIWAY, die Home bananas, tapioca, fruits, vegetables, yams and taro. This interesting Island man arrived in the U.S. in 1970 and soon came to Salt Lake where he met his wife, Jan Noakes Finau and they were married in late 1970 in Reno. Jan is a graduate of BYU with a BA in fine arts, with her main interests being painting, pen and ink drawings, antiques, genealogy and photography. She is currently working in the PTA and as a teachers helper with the art classes. Afei has learned to love many American dishes, Jan laughs, but some of his favorite foods are still meat, steak, Tongan yams, talo, hupulu, (which is spinach and corned beef). But at the top of his list, of all food I can prepare for him, is ota, a marinated raw fish, Jan tells. Afei was an active rugby player in Tonga, Jan goes on. It is a very rough game and he has many scars on his legs to prove it! In his off hours this man still uses his artists eye to produce beauty and does landscaping as well as playing golf and attending the swap meets. The two have three sons. They are Henele Toupili, 8 years; Gary Guyman, 7 years and Timothy Simon, 16 months. So . . .from the friendly isles to the friendly valley . . . what does this charming Tongan miss about his far off home? Well, he laughs, only the men pay taxes there and that only amounts to about $4 AT a year, and thats quite a difference from what the American income tax takes. he Another thing, tells, is that there it is against the law to work, play games or sell on Sunday. It is also, it us LOURDES HALL SUNDAY, SEPT. 28th 2:00 to 7:30 p.m. to hear, surprises against the law to walk in the streets or towns without shirts on. The woman OUR LADY OF dress very modestly compared to the casual dress here and they are almost always in dresses. The dress for men requires both a coat and tie and both men and women wear a taovala, which is a mat, worn 2840 So. 9000 West, Magna, UT. TICKETS ARE $3.50 CHILDREN $2.50 ADULTS TAKE OUTS AVAILABLE Try a Want Ad! 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