Maʻafuʻolimuloa/en

After the murder on Tukuʻaho on 21 April 1799, whole Tongatapu fell into disarray. All the chiefs wanted to have the prestigeous title of Tuʻi Kanokupolu but none was strong enough to enforce his wish upon the others. In fact the main instignator of the murder, Fīnau ʻUlukālala II ʻi Feletoa (Fangupō) showed his disdain by putting a pig on the throne. Many battles followed. It was not until the death of Mulikihaʻamea on 29 May 1799 that the Haʻa Havea lahi enforced their candidate: Maʻafuʻolimuloa, the younger son of Tangataʻilavalu, who would have to yield in due time the Maʻafu title to his elder brother. An outsider, since his family had split off from the main line several generations ago, as such he was not considered as belonging to the 'family'.

Anyway, at the following ʻinasi he was installed as Tuʻi Kanokupolu, but it is not known exactly when, as the yearly ʻinasi ceremonies were during July or October. It may even have been as late as the next year, April 1800. Whatever the date, Maʻafuʻolimuloa was murdered the night of his installation. But whether this was done by ʻUlukālala again or by members of the Haʻa Ngata tupu, a senior clan of the Tuʻi Kanokupolu line, is not clear.

It would take about 10 years before finally the next Tuʻi Kanokupolu was selected, and then still only accepted by merely a few chiefs. FOKI