Tonga Traditional Burial An Attempt to Inculturate Tonga Funeral Through Effective Communication
Date
2004
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
This essay is an interdisciplinary work. It is the fruit of pastoral. systematic
theology and social communications insights. It ventures to attempt an inculturation of
the Tonga traditional funeral through effective communication. The essay is divided
into four chapters.
The first chapter is an overview of the Tonga people: their concept of life.
concept of death. world-view and the dawn of Christianity in Tonealand. It ends with
the impact of the first Christian evangelisation and the Tonga people conversion to
Christianity.
The second chapter is a general presentation of the Tonga traditional funeral
rites. The Tonga traditional rituals: birth. girl initiation, marriage and death are
transitions that mark one stage of life to another. They could be likened to the Catholic
sacraments. They mark the turning or important moments in the life of a Tonga person.
[hey are usually celebrated with traditional religious acts. Among the Tonga. funeral
rites are the last transitional rites that lead one into the world of spirits.
Besides outlining the essential pans of the Tonga funeral rites, the chapter also
deals with the Christian funeral rites in summary. This is purposely meant for the
comparison that comes at the end of the chapter to highlight some common and
differing elements of the two rites. The common and differing elements shall be the
basis for the inculturation attempt that the essay aims at. The third chapter deals mainly with definitions, descriptions and explanations
of terms: Communication. Social Communication, the Church and Communication.
Intercultural Communication and Inculturation. Indeed, this chapter speaks of the
Trinitarian foundation of Christian communication. As a community of love and
communion. the Blessed Trinity is the basis for human and Christian communication.
God's self-communication manifests itself in the three divine persons: God the Father.
Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit who is the uniting principle of love. God
created human beings in his image. Thus human beings are able to communicate
because they share in God's communicative life. Evangelisation requires
communication of the Christian message. The chapter also presents some concepts of
Inculturation in relation to evangelisation. Inculturation requires pastoral agents to
understand and appreciate cultural alues. In this way they can be equipped to
communicate effectively the Gospel message. So. in the process of attempting to
integrate the Tonga funeral values and the Christian faith. some communication
elements are indispensable.
Chapter four presents some possible converted Tonga Christian attitude after
Christ has been properly appropriated. Moreover, the chapter also gives some pastoral
implications and recommendations that are deemed appropriate towards fostering the
Tonga person's change of attitude tovāards their departed.
Bearing in mind that the Church employs various ways of communicating the
Gospel message. this essay proposes grass-root and dialogue as forms of
communication for the effective integration of the Tonga traditional funeral rites and the Christian funeral rites. The Small Christian Communities are the proposed place for this
dialogue to take place.
Description
Keywords
Traditional Burial, Tonga, Effective Communication, Tonga Funeral, Inculturate