tribal confederation · North America and Oceania
Tovata Confederacy
Origins
Enele Maʻafu, a kinsman of George Tupou I of the Kingdom of Tonga, came to Fiji in 1847 to oversee the Tongans living there. Through warfare and alliances he became the dominant power in the Lau Islands and parts of Vanua Levu. In 1867 he and the chiefs of Lau, Cakaudrove and Bua formed the Confederation of Lau, known as Tovata, with Lomaloma on Vanua Balavu as its seat.
Rule and society
Tovata adopted a written constitution with a council of chiefs and Maʻafu as its leading figure. It promoted Christianity of the Wesleyan kind, which Tongans had brought to eastern Fiji, and drew revenue from the trade in copra and cotton with European planters and merchants. Its rivalry with the Kingdom of Bau under Cakobau shaped Fijian politics.
Decline and legacy
In 1871 Maʻafu agreed to join Cakobau's new Kingdom of Fiji and became its viceroy for Lau, ending Tovata. He signed the cession of Fiji to Britain in 1874 and was recognised as Tui Lau, a title that survives.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Tovata Confederacy. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tovata-confederacy
- MLA
- “Tovata Confederacy.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tovata-confederacy. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Tovata Confederacy.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tovata-confederacy.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Tovata Confederacy’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tovata-confederacy (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻