The Last Kingdom

Tamara Voninski / oculi Kingdom of Tonga 2005 A man climbs a shipwreck off the shore of Tongatapu to dive into the ocean for a swim on a Sunday morning in the Kingdom of Tonga. Swimming is against the law on Sunday in Tonga. 11698

Tamara Voninski / oculi Kingdom of Tonga September 2006 School children play with starfish from the ocean in front of the Royal Palace in the Kingdom of Tonga the week following the funeral of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV.

Coronation Day: Following the Coronation of His Majesty King George Tupou V, the King drives through the streets of Nuku'alofa in the Kingdom of Tonga. The streets were lined with school children shouting "Long Live the King".

Tamara Voninski / oculi/vu Kingdom of Tonga April 2007 People on deck of an overnight ferry between Tongatapu and the Ha'apai Group of Islands in the Kingdom of Tonga. One woman wraps herself in her traditional mat to shield her body from the cold air and water spray on the upper ferry deck.

Tamara Voninski / oculi Kingdom of Tonga 2004 A reflection of school girls entering the church of the monarch King Taufahau Tupou IV in the Kingdom of Tonga. 11698

Tamara Voninski / oculi/vu Kingdom of Tonga April 2007 People tend to their fmily grave sites in a cemetary on Lifuka Island in the Ha'apai Group of Islands in the Kingdom of Tonga.

Tamara Voninski / oculi/ Vu Kingdom f Tonga July 2007 Women dance in celebration f a new village water system outside their Church hall on the island of Tongatapu in the Kingdom of Tonga.

Tamara Voninski / oculi/ Vu Kingdom of Tonga April 2007 A girl jumps off the pier at Pangai on Lifuka Island in the H'apai Group of Islands in the Kingdom of Tonga. Tonga is a conservatative Christian country and modest dress includes girls being covered when they swim.

Tamara Voninski / oculi/ Vu Kingdom of Tonga July 2007 The Heilala festival parade in Nuku'alofa in the Kingdom of Tonga celebrating Tongan culture and named after the national flower, Heilala.

Tamara Voninski / oculi Kingdom of Tonga September 2006 King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, 88, of the Kingdom of Tonga in the pacific died on September 11, 2006. King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV was buried September 19, 2006 in the Kingdom of Tonga in an elaborate funeral. The King's body is carried from the Royal palace to the Royal Tombs in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. Tupou's IV's 41 year reign as near-absolute ruler in the Kingdom of Tonga made him one of the world's longest serving sovereign's, after Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Samoa's King Malietoa Tanumafili II. 11698

Tamara Voninski / oculi A school teacher leads a parade to celebrate the birthday of the King Taufahau Tupou IV on July 4th in the Kingdom of Tonga. 11698

Tamara Voninski / oculi/vu Kingdom of Tonga April 2007 In a village in the Ha'apai Group of Islands in the Kingdom of Tonga. Pandanus reeds hang from the clothesline before being woven into a traditional mat.

©Tamara Voninski. Teenagers on the streets of Nuku'alofa in the Kingdom of Tonga.,

Tamara Voninski / oculi/vu Kingdom of Tonga April 2007 Schoolgirls walk to church on a Sunday in Nuku'alofa on the main island of Tongatapu in the Kingdom of Tonga.

Tamara Voninski / oculi Kingdom of Tonga 2005 An outdoor bridal fair on the island of Tongatapu in the Kingdom of Tonga where elder women select marriage beds and traditional mats for their daughters and nieces. 11698

Tamara Voninski / oculi/ Vu Kingdom of Tonga July 2007 A street scene along the waterfront of Nuku'alofa in the Kingdom of Tonga. Young women wear traditional mourning mats following a death in their family.

Tamara Voninski / oculi/vu Kingdom of Tonga April 2007 Catholic villagers on the island of Lifuka in the Ha'apai Group of Islands in the Kingdom of Tonga celebrate Good Friday by staging a of Jesus and Stations of the Cross through the main Street of the island.

Tamara Voninski / oculi Kingdom of Tonga 2004 A fire ceremony on the island of Tongatapu in the Kingdom of Tonga to honour the birthday of monarch King Taufahau Tupou IV. People line the foreshore with torches in a tradition of the Polynesian people. 11698

Tamara Voninski / oculi/ Vu Kingdom of Tonga July 2007 Backstage at the Miss Galaxy beauty competiton for men living as fakaleitis in the Kingdom of Tonga. Fakaleitis are men who dress and behave as women. The Miss Galaxy competition is the most high profile event in the fakaleiti calendar. Fakaleitis are accepted without stigma in Polynesian culture.

Tamara Voninski / oculi/ Vu Kingdom of Tonga July 2007 Backstage at the Miss Galaxy beauty competiton for men living as fakaleitis in the Kingdom of Tonga. Fakaleitis are men who dress and behave as women. The Miss Galaxy competition is the most high profile event in the fakaleiti calendar. Fakaleitis are accepted without stigma in Polynesian culture.

Tamara Voninski / oculi Kingdom of Tonga 2005 Teenage girls celebrate a 15 year old`s birthday by drinking alcohol in her bedroom away from the watchful eyes of the adults in the Kingdom of Tonga. Elders in the community call the teenagers on the islands the Lost Generation. 11698

Tamara Voninski / oculi Kingdom of Tonga 2005 A teenage girl who has just returned to live in the Kingdom of Tonga after living for several years with her family in New Zealand. Elders in the community call the teenagers on the islands the Lost Generation. 11698

Tamara Voninski / oculi Kingdom of Tonga September 2006 King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, 88, of the Kingdom of Tonga in the pacific died on September 11, 2006. King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV was buried September 19, 2006 in the Kingdom of Tonga in an elaborate funeral. Tongans wearing traditional mourning mats called ta'ovala wrapped around their waists bring gifts of food to the Royal family at the palace grounds in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. Tupou's IV's 41 year reign as near-absolute ruler in the Kingdom of Tonga made him one of the world's longest serving sovereign's, after Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Samoa's King Malietoa Tanumafili II. 11698

Tamara Voninski / oculi Kingdom of Tonga September 2006 King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, 88, of the Kingdom of Tonga in the pacific died on September 11, 2006. King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV was buried September 19, 2006 in the Kingdom of Tonga in an elaborate funeral. Women wearing traditional mourning mats called ta'ovala wrapped around their waists in the city of Nuku'alofa, Tonga the week after the funeral. Tupou's IV's 41 year reign as near-absolute ruler in the Kingdom of Tonga made him one of the world's longest serving sovereign's, after Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Samoa's King Malietoa Tanumafili II. 11698

Tamara Voninski / oculi Kingdom of Tonga September 2006 King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, 88, of the Kingdom of Tonga in the pacific died on September 11, 2006. King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV was buried September 19, 2006 in the Kingdom of Tonga in an elaborate funeral. Teenagers wearing traditional mourning mats called ta'ovala wrapped around their waists play with a mobile phone as members of their village present gifts of food to the Royal family in the week after the funeral in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. 11698

Coronation Day: Following the Coronation of His Majesty King George Tupou V, the King drives through the streets of Nuku'alofa in the Kingdom of Tonga. The streets were lined with school children shouting "Long Live the King".