History of Uoleva Island

There has been no known permanent settlement on Uoleva. When the first Lapita settlers arrived on Tonga in approximately 2850 B.P. (900 BCE), the sea level was 2 meters higher than it is today, making it a much smaller island. Early Tongans lived instead on the larger raised limestone islands or ‘Uiha, Lifuka, Foa, and Ha’ano.

In the fifteenth century, the new Mata’uvave line of chiefs began constructing many pigeon snaring mounds around northern Ha’apai. They built at least eight on Uoleva alone and can still be seen today scattered around the island’s interior. Located in the center of Uoleva is the