The Road Less Traveled : Agriculture Show 2014

Another week, another major event in Vava’u. It has been a surprisingly busy “winter,” in our normally quiet little island, and the King must be a bit worn out from all of his frequent trips to Vava’u over the past few months. The most recent blowout to occur in Vava’u was the Agriculture Show, which as some of you may remember, is Tonga’s version of a county fair.

First, I must start as all fairs should – with the animals. The Chinese government runs a piggery in Vava’u in conjunction with the Tongan Ministry of Agriculture, and their pigs are absolutely massive as they are fed with real pig feed rather than the random assortment of coconut husks and trash most pigs eat here. One of the pigs on display was the largest piece of pork I have ever seen in my life. It was practically a pony it was so large, and the little kids were absolutely terrified of it, much to their parents laughter and delight.

Not to be outdone, the cows, both bull and heifer, were magnificent. The cows were not only succulently fat, but also lined with slabs of muscle. They were truly impressive beasts. As for the other animals, I saw ducks in Tonga for the first time (I have no idea if they are eaten as I’ve never seen duck served in a Tongan home or restaurant), and the chickens and sheep looked pretty standard.

For the layout of the show, almost every village had two stalls. One stall displayed their woven materials and Tongan made crafts, specifically mats, tapas, and hand woven placemats, coaster, and containers. The other tent was filled with the produce grown from the village, a few vegetables but the vast majority being the different kinds of root crops – yams, cassava, manioc, etc – found in Tonga. Every village took an enormous amount of pride in their stalls and they looked fantastic.

Some of the other highlights included my town officer, who runs a pearl (half pearls) farm off of a nearby-uninhabited island, which he crafted into jewelry and had on display. I also loved going to the booths of the outer islands as they displayed an incredible assortment of fish, clams, crabs, and other sea creatures. One of the cooler and smellier displays had sun-dried octopus hanging from outside the stall.

Along with some other volunteers, I wandered around the fair for a few hours until the King, the Queen, and the Queen mother arrived to officially open the show and begin the program. Speeches were made, prayers were read, high schools students danced, bands played, and prizes were given out for a variety of county fair like awards. It was a festive atmosphere and a great way to spend my Saturday.

Having observed the fair now for two straight years, it is really remarkable how the show, while still being distinctly Tongan, so closely mirrors the types of fairs we have in America. For all of our differences, there really are always so many similarities.

Thank you for reading and please enjoy the photos from the agriculture show.