Persistence of the Gift: Tongan Tradition in Transnational Context

Karen Danielson, Ph.D., is a research consultant at Laurentian
University who specializes in leisure, textiles, family life, and Japan.

A Tongan way of life based on gift giving may seem to be incompatible
with life in the modern world, but Mike Evans describes how people on
the island of Ha’ano have managed to bridge the gap. Tonga was never
directly colonized, and its land was never utilized for capitalistic
projects, so the gift-giving aspects of the traditional way of life
persist. As a result, land has remained accessible, and material
necessity has not forced people into either wage labor or commodity
production. Evans found that instead of replacing their gift-exchange
relationships with commodity exchanges, the Tongans have altered their
gift-exchange patterns to incorporate the state, the Christian church,
and the world market.

Evans discusses the history of the Tongan economy. He also provides
data on current economic transactions within the gift-based system. With
his family he spent 19 months on Ha’ano Island as a participant
observer, so he is able to describe the practical implications of key
themes, including love, respect, and mutual aid. Care for the elderly,
attention to children, reciprocity, the meaning of gifts, shifting group
membership, women’s wealth, and situational hierarchies are also
discussed. For example, Evans learned from fishing experiences that it
was the man and not his resources that determined his share of the
catch.

While the way of life on Ha’ano Island is under stress because of
out-migration for work and school, Evans describes how absent members of
the community provide important links to the world market. It is through
these links that the islanders are able to obtain cash, for example,
while absent members are able to obtain fine woven mats that are of
importance for their cultural activities.

Persistence of the Gift is a valuable study. Readers who are interested
in the affective aspects of daily living or in economic development will
find useful resource material in the book.