Tongan Sexual Tradition

Male Circumcision

• In pre-contact Tonga, newly pubescent males were tefe, or circumcised by cutting one slit in foreskin, on the underside of the penis. Afterwards, the family held a feast for the new "man".

First Menstruation

• In Tonga, a girl's mennstruation was celebrated by a feast.This practice continued up until the mid-1900s, at which point it fell out of favor.

Sexuality

• In Tonga, female pre-maritial chasity was the ideal, if not the norm.Theoretically, a girl received suitors at a faikava, or kava-drinking gathering.She presiided over the bowl, made the kava, and handed out the cups.the suitors sat in a circle around the bowl, chatting, bragging, arguing, and showing off for the demure young lady.All was done under the eye elders, thus protecting the maiden from any unseemly advances.

• There was less tolerance of sexual mistakes on the part of high-born women, who were expected to "demonstrate" their virginity by bleeding heavily on their wedding night.The groom's aunts would display the stained barkcloth(or later ,sheet),after bathing the bride to inspect her for cuts that might have been inflicted to draw blood.It is said that grooms might show their love and concern for non-bleeding brides by cutting themselves and smearing their own blood on the barkcloth or sheet.


• In common with many other Polynesian societies, ancient Tonga also made room for the male homosexual.These men wore female roles, and had casual sexual liaisons with other men.


• Commoners adopted the ideal of pre-maritial virginity and the display of bloody bedclothing.Divorce theoretically became formal, and difficult, though this may have only slightly discouraged informal separations and subsequent common-law unions.