Haʻamonga ʻa Maui trilithon
Trilito Haʻamonga ʻa Maui
- Date
- c. 1200 · confidence medium
- Place
- Heketā, Tongatapu, Tonga
- Credited to
- Tuʻitātui and the Tongan people
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A monumental arch of two pillars and a coral lintel, about 5 m high, attributed to the eleventh Tuʻi Tonga, Tuʻitātui. King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV proposed in 1967 that it aligned with the summer solstice sunrise.
The astronomical function is a modern, unconfirmed hypothesis; oral traditions speak of a symbol of union for the king's sons. The date rests on royal genealogies.
What it led to
- a symbol of the power of the Tongan maritime empire
- an example of Polynesian megalithic architecture
- debate on astronomy and calendars in Polynesia