Marbles and Mangoes. Mapu Moe Mango

This is a dual English Tongan language book where Sione Tapani Mangisi shares some of his memories about growing up in Tonga in the nineteen fifties. His topic is marbles, a children’s game popular when he was young. The book describes how games were set up by groups of boys under the large old mango trees in villages under complex rules that encouraged not just high levels of skill but also careful strategising to ensure that each player won as many marbles as possible. He discusses the traditional hard nut fruits that were used in pre-European times before the introduction and adoption of glass and ceramic marbles. The book idescribes the alternate games that little children and girls played and finishes with a guide to setting up your own game. There is a guide to Tongan spelling and pronunciation. It’s suitable for readers of all ages and is particularly designed for adults looking for stories about Tonga in the Tongan language to read to their children and grandchildren.