On the grounds of Ancient Tonga, Sepuloni’s newfound family gathered to put on a traditional welcome, or hā’unga.
“The Tongan side, I think, knows that my Grandfather married a Samoan woman and raised his family in Samoa,” Sepuloni told those gathered.
“We grew up knowing very little of our Tongan side, except that we were Tongan and Samoan.”
Tagata Pasifika reports Sepuloni discovered that her Father’s Tongan roots began on the island of Niuatoputapu, through which she also shares a family connection with Mate Ma’a Tonga captain Sika Manu.
