‘The plurality of hoa’: Tā-vā and Moana Thought in the Work of Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe-Lotu ‘Ōkusitino Māhina, An Interview

Abstract

[From introduction to Chapter 4] Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe-Lotu ‘Ōkusitino Māhina was an associate investigator for the ‘Vā Moana: Space and Relationality in Pacific Thought and Identity’ project and is a foundational proponent of tā-vā, with much of his life’s work leading to the development of Tā-Vā Theory and Philosophy of Reality. As a longstanding collaborator with Vā Moana—Pacific Spaces, Māhina, in this conversation or talatalanoa, continues a decades-long discussion on vā and tā-vā with Albert L. Refiti. In what follows, Māhina shares his experiences as a student at ʻAtenisi Institute, with the late Futa Helu, and the emergence of his own ideas on vā. He sees vā not only as a system that structures relationships, but also as an integral part of artistic endeavours in Moana societies that incorporate the rhythmic beating and marking of time. Hūfanga’s PhD thesis, which became the first theory of history from an Indigenous Moana perspective, promoted the notion of an Indigenous Tongan history as Talaēfonua.