Lalava'i Fonua

Author: Desmond ‘Emila Makasini Marculy Ola

Supervisors: Tobias Danielmeier col Fay

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1 August 2025

 

Makasini Marculy Ola, D. E. (2025). Lalava’i Fonua [Master's thesis, Otago Polytechnic]. Research Bank. https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.7229

 

Abstract

The Tongan diaspora of New Zealand face disconnection with their fonua [place, people, culture]. Architecture may be the medium to bind this disconnect. The disconnection leaves a generation of individuals navigating tensions between the traditions of our ancestral pasts and the unknowns of their future. This thesis leverages architecture as a practice to actively bridge this, elevating the building from a static vessel to a dynamic participator in transforming and transmitting the culture. Through the experience of the Indigenous framework of Tā-Vā theory, the research explores temporal-spatial intersections in the Tongan worldview. As the theory emphasises interconnectedness and mediation, it provides an ideal methodological lens to critically examine how cultural identity may be represented in built form. The findings illuminate that the Tongan ways of knowing empower - rather than restrict - the diaspora to boldly negotiate customary tradition and innovation to self-determine our own evolved identity in this new context. In simultaneously embracing the past and confronting the future, Tongan people in Aotearoa, New Zealand, may not be defined by the perceived loss of our fonua but inspired to manifest a new cultural identity. When architecture is manifested through this lens it contributes to a cultural continuum. This thesis concludes that a fale designed as an active participant in cultural practices serves as the catalyst for identity formation and intergenerational knowledge transfer. By lalava [weaving and lashing] traditional values with contemporary innovation, architecture becomes a connection, empowering our diaspora community to not only survive but thrive within this new context.

 

Keywords

Tonga, identity, Moana, Tā-Vā, architecture, vernacular

 

Licence

A copy of the thesis is publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

This licence applies except where otherwise indicated, especially for images.