article

Population changes in Tonga: an historical overview and modern commentary

Pacific viewpoint11 (1)Published In 1970 • Pages: 27-46

By: Walsh, Allen Crosbie.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This article is an examination of population growth and especially movement in Tonga. Although there is an historical perspective, the concern is with the present. The author discusses the change in settlement type from dispersed to nucleated, changes in population distribution from 1643 to the present, the current movement from the outlying islands to Tongatapu, and especially into the capital, Nuku'alofa, and mobility and economic development. He feels that this heavy concentration of people on this one island without the possibility of employment or sufficient agricultural land to support them may have dangerous consequences and should be discouraged. He concludes that population movement is not a new phenomenon in Tonga, although the current pace, direction and character have changed.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Population
Composition of population
Internal migration
Settlement patterns
Production and supply
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Tongans
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2006
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Oceania
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Polynesia
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
article
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Geographer
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Martin J. Malone; 1978
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1963-1964
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
ca. 1643-1970
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Tonga
NotesAdditional notes
Allen Crosbie Walsh
Includes bibliographical references
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
64053119
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Tongans