was a

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

granted to the eldest heiress of the

Tu'i Tonga Tu'i, also spelled more simplistically Tui, is a Polynesian traditional title for tribal chiefs or princes. In translations, the highest such positions are often rendered as "king". For details, see the links below various polities. Traditionally, ...

, or spiritual leader of

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

, in ancient times. She held a higher social status than the Tu'i Tonga himself. The title is no longer in use. According to tradition, the first Tu'i Tonga Fefine was Sinaitakala-‘ilangileka, a daughter of ʻUluaki-mata I.

Marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

between the Tu'i Tonga Fefine and a Tongan man was deemed inappropriate. The title-holder was expected to remain a virgin unless or until she married a 'stranger' of high rank. The first Tu'i Tonga Fefine married a high-ranking Fijian, to form the 'Ha'a Falefisi' ("House of Fiji") line. Tu'i Tonga Fefine in succeeding generations were also expected to marry a title holder of the 'Ha'a Falefisi'. This strategy of marrying the title-holder to non-Tongans helped to safeguard the Tu'i Tonga's position, as the Tu'i Tonga Fefine's children would otherwise have outranked him. The Tu'i Tonga Fefine retained her rank throughout her life. However, she remained the highest spiritual entity in Tonga only until she gave birth to a

daughter A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state, condition or quality of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show r ...

. This child outranked her mother and became the highest spiritual entity in Tonga, with the title of Tamahā ("Sacred Child").

References

Tongan royalty Tongan women {{Tonga-stub