ABSTRACT

Most Tongans who have settled overseas have maintained close contact with kin and remained involved in the nation of Tonga through a range of other connections, such as those with churches and schools. Most of these ties are maintained from a distance by remitting money and goods, making phone calls, sending letters and emails and so on. Many migrants, however, also make return visits to Tonga. Such visits may be to visit family or for particular occasions such as funerals and weddings, or for events in Tonga such as church conferences or the popular Heilala Week in July each year when Tongans enjoy beauty pageants, street parades and other celebrations around the time of the late king’s birthday. These visits vary from a matter of days to months at a time; indeed, it can be difcult to clearly distinguish between ‘visits’ and return migration. Some migrant families maintain homes in Tonga, to which different family members return for varying periods. Some older Tongans, particularly women, move between Tonga and the diaspora to live with their dispersed adult children and grandchildren, sometimes for a year or more.