Island Vibes unleashes Tonga Tū Ketau Tuē: A celebration of Tongan identity and language

Vibes are high as a tsunami of red reaches the shores of Aotearoa to celebrate Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea faka-Tonga - Tonga Language Week.

Auckland-based nine-piece band, Island Vibes, has welcomed the rush of MMT pride with the release of their latest song, Tonga Tū Ketau Tuē.

Written entirely in Lea Faka-Tonga, the song strengthens the legacy of Tongan music traditions and evokes the atmosphere of the kava circle.

“It's a tribute to our forefathers that came here before us and kept those spaces alive for us to learn Tongan and speak Tongan,” ‘Aisea Latu, the band’s music director, vocalist, and keyboardist, says in an interview on PMN Tonga.

Latu says band members Haanz Fa’avae-Jackson, Saale Ilaua, and Willie Tuionetoa, with guidance from their cultural adviser, Sola Vuna, immersed themselves in talanoa around the kumete (kava bowl), just as in kalapu faikava (kava clubs), to learn the song.

“I wrote the song, brought it to them, and we sang it. It was the part afterwards where we got to sit there in talanoa, ask Sola all these questions about our language, which I think is important, especially with the theme of Tongan Language Week.”

This year’s theme is Ko 'etau lea, ko e fe’unu mahu’inga ia ki he mo’ui ‘a e Tonga - Our language is a vital strand of our Tongan culture.

Fa’avae-Jackson, vocalist and acoustic guitarist, agrees that reflecting tradition ensures the culture continues to thrive and says he is grateful to have experienced that method of learning.

“It was that space of opening those conversations, the opportunity to learn, to pick at the brains of people who know a bit more about you, about the culture, the language, and that was the space we're in.”

Vuna breaks down the title of the song, Tonga Tū Ketau Tuē. Tū comes from the Tongan word Nga-Tū, which generally refers to standing posture, stance, or the act/state of standing.

“It carries the sense of position, attitude, or bearing - not just physically standing, but how one holds themselves, like a stance in dancing, fighting, or ceremony,” Vuna says in a social media post. “In this song, it is used metaphorically to mean standing firm or being steadfast.”

He tells PMN Tonga host John Pulu about how the song mirrors māfana and maintains a strong connection to cultural traditions for Tongans everywhere, much like rugby does for MMT fans.

“What's interesting about the song and the group of singers, we're all New Zealand born. Exactly the same as the team Mate Ma’a Tonga, all born outside of Tonga, but why would they choose to go and play for Tonga?”

Latu echoes this sentiment saying that he hopes the song evokes a range of positive emotions, community unity, and heartfelt pride.

“I thought about how māfana Tongans get whenever there's an event, a rugby game, whatever, and that's what inspired the title of the song and the chorus.”

Latu reflects on the legacy of his late father, Reverend Tu’inamoana Latu, weaving those values into a sound that speaks to younger diasporic listeners. The reverend is even credited as a songwriter for Tonga Tū Ketau Tuē.

“I'm pretty lucky I had someone who was at home, my late father, he's passed on, but his legacy lives on…I picked a part some of the songs, took words that I knew, took words I didn't know, and then just asked Sola about them,” Latu says.

“Even though we know what it means, some of us don't really know what we're singing...So I try to simplify those heliaki (poetic metaphors), try to make it something our young people can relate to here in New Zealand, or wherever you are in the world.”

'Aisea Latu's late father, Reverend Tu'inamoana Latu. Photo/Facebook

For Fa’avae Jackson, who is of Niuean and Tongan heritage and proficient in both languages, the linguistic journey was particularly “enlightening”.

“My father's Tongan, my mum's Niuean, they both know each other's languages. It was cool to share this experience and experience it for myself, the similarities, especially when it comes to making music in our language.”

Island Vibes debuted the song with a music video filmed in Tāmaki Makaurau at Kalapu Vibes and the Ellerslie Methodist Church, created with the support of PMN’s Moana Reo Fund.

Fa’avae-Jackson is proudly multilingual and hopes New Zealand-born Pacific people, whether Tongan or not, will uphold the cultural torch passed down by our ancestors and carry it further into the future.

“To hopefully be brave enough to make more music in our language. That’s the superpower,” Fa’avae-Jackson says.

“I got some really good advice from a friend a long time ago. He said, ‘if you want to make music, make music in your language’.

“It's cool that we as Island Vibes are still pushing that to keep making more music and pushing for more artists to be brave enough to do that.”

Tonga Tū Ketau Tuē is available on all streaming platforms.