Sister Malia Tu‘ifua: Descendant of Chiefs, Daughter of God

Authors

  • Adrienne L. Kaeppler Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15286/jps.123.2.169-183

Keywords:

Tonga, Marist sisters, Second World War, dance, women's development

Abstract

This portrait of Sister Tu‘ifua (1924-2007), explores the life of high-ranking Halakihe‘umata Tu‘ifua from her inauspicious birth in Lapaha, Tonga, to her profession in becoming a Roman Catholic nun and her subsequent work for the church. The account details several features of her early life: her love of dancing and performing, her interaction with American servicemen during the Second World War, and her reason for becoming a nun. It then follows Sister Tu‘ifua's career: teaching children, development work with Tongan women and, latterly, her international role and work for the betterment of the poorest of Tongan people.

Author Biography

Adrienne L. Kaeppler, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C

Adrienne L. Kaeppler is Curator of Oceanic Ethnology at the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. She has carried out extended fieldwork in the Pacific and extensive research in museums, especially on collections from the voyages of Captain Cook. She has published widely on museum collections and on the visual and performing arts of the Pacific. Her research focuses on the interrelationships between social structure and the arts, especially dance, music and the visual arts.
Vol 123, No 2 (2014)

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Published

2014-10-06

Issue

Vol. 123 No. 2 (2014)

Section

Articles

License

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