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 The academic works on Tongan history since the late 19th
Century have been largely written in the 'perspectives' of the Kauhalalalo Lines (Tu'i Kanokupolu and Tu'i Takalaua Lineages, Ha'a), rather than those of the Kauhala'uta Lines (Ha'a Tu'i Tonga, Sina'e and the Falefisi). Given this statement as logically valid, other information from independently local and foreign scholars (or informers) outside the Kauhala’uta and Kauhalalalo Lines are considered as fundamentally relevant for this subject-matter too. In the so-called 'Contact Period', with Western Civilization since the 18th Century, Kauhalalalo Lines have been working closely with the British Wesleyan Missionaries, BWM (London Missionary Society in specific) particularly from 1822 onwards, whereas Kauhala'uta Lines were affiliated originally with the French Roman Catholic Missionaries (FRCM) since 1842. It further delineates that the last Tu'i Tonga, His Majesty Fatafehi Laufilitonga, was among the most powerful and chiefly persons of Mu'a (ancient Capital of Tu'i Tonga dynasty), and the whole of Tonga Islands, to assist in permitting the FRCM to finally entered and established their Christian mission in Tongatapu, the main Island (with exception of Laufilitonga’s defeat at War Velata by Taufa'ahau in 1826). This was a consequence as well of Laufilitonga’s acceptance of the Roman Catholicism as his new religion alliance in 1848. Such a foothold of the Catholic Church has been based at Mu'a since then (and Ma'ufanga, among others later on), while the BWM were based at Kolomotu'a, the Western Part of Tongatapu (Hihifo), and other outer Islands, such as Va'va'u and Ha'apai Groups, under Taufa'ahau's influence. However, the term Kauhala'uta was initially alluded to the 'inland leeward road' of Mu'a (fourth residence of Tu'i Tonga dynasty), if you travel north on the ancient main road of Hala Fonuamoa towards the Ha'amonga-'a-Maui Trilithon (third residence), in which the Ha'a Tu'i Tonga Empire had resided while reigning from around the 9th to 11th Century before shifting to Mu'a around the 12th Century. This is why the term Kauhala'uta is symbolically used for the Ha'a Tu'i Tonga - Kauhala stands for ‘leeward road’ and 'uta is ‘inland’ or ‘bush land’. On the other hand, Kauhalalalo was initially referred to the 'costal leeward road' again of Mu'a, opposite to Kauhala’uta on the Hala Fonuamoa - which was also known as Fonuatanu (Constructed-land) or Fonuamotu (Land-island), the residence of Ha'a Tu'i Takalaua and Tu'i Kanokupolu during the Tu'i Tonga Empire - Kauhala is ‘leeward road’ and lalo points to ‘down leeward’ or ‘coastal side’. As the opening statement unfolds, with the notion of viewing Kauhalalalo perspectives from the collection of the early LMS as predominant in the academic works on Tongan history since the late 19th century, the upcoming series of articles on this website has therefore attempted to discuss the contrary conception, that, unless we thoroughly study the Kauhala'uta perspectives from the collection of the FRCM, including other independent information from local and overseas scholars (or informers), Tongan account won't be able to fully and explicitly unveil other 'unaccounted matters of fact', which had actually occurred over centuries since the Contact Period, without some clear-cut recognition and acknowledgment after all.
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