The death of Lord Lasike has revived interest in his ancestors’ ties to Christianity and royalty, their quest for status and the title’s controversial history.
Lasike, 67, died from an illness on May 28.
The government has declared that all national flags will be flown at half-mast to honour the former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
In a statement issued this afternoon, the Honourable Prime Minister, Dr ‘Aisake Valu Eke, declared that all flags across the kingdom would be lowered on Thursday, June 5, 2025, as a mark of respect during Lord Lasike’s funeral.
The death of the late noble, whose estates included Ha‘afeva Island and the village of Lakepa in Tongatapu, was honoured by his heralds (matāpule) and others through the art of lau kakala and lau mātanga—traditional Tongan persuasive oratory that celebrates the life and legacy of the deceased.
The government’s statement read: “The Public is hereby notified that the Honourable Prime Minister has decreed that all national flags in the Kingdom of Tonga are to be flown at half-mast on Thursday, 5th June 2025, in respect of the funeral of the Noble of the Realm, Lord Lasike.”
The Hereditary Title Lasike and Its Fijian Roots
Research suggests the name Lasike originated in Fiji as a Tongan adaptation of Radike Baleisāsā, later becoming Lasike Paleisāsā in Tongan.
According to studies by Melenaite ‘Alakihihifo Heni Stathan and Nigel Stathan, this name was given to the son of Radike Baleisāsā and Toāfilimoe’unga, a daughter of Mataele Havea.
It says both Fijian and Tongan traditions state that Radike was a brother of Fiji’s Tu’i Nayau, the chief of the island of Nayau and Lakeba in the Lau group, Fiji.
The Stathans’ research reveals that while many aspects of the title’s history remain unclear, it confirms Lasike had become an established title by 1861.
The earliest known bearer of the title was Lasike Kalolo Palei (Palei is a Tongan shortening of Baleisāsā), often abbreviated as Lasike Kalolo or Kalolo, who was present when King Tāufa‘āhau Tupou I granted emancipation from serfdom at Pouono, Vava‘u, in 1862.
The Lasike Family’s Catholic Connection
Lasike Kalolo lived during the arrival of the first Catholic Marist Brothers in Tonga and became a devoted Catholic.
According to the Stathans’ and other sources, the name Kalolo was first adapted by Catholics for the Marist fathers and brothers who bore the names Charles and Carlo.
The Stanthans quoted the Marist missionary Fr Pierre Castagnier, Pātele Petelō in Tongan, who documented Kalolo’s influence in his 1866 journal, noting that Kalolo was expected to be appointed chief judge. In a 1879 letter, Castagnier described him as “our very great Catholic chief in his parish of Ma‘ofanga, Tongatapu.”
It says Kalolo occasionally performed baptisms, particularly in emergencies when a priest was unavailable. Fr Castagnier frequently visited him between 1865 and 1881, administered his last rites on June 9, 1881, and officiated his burial in Pea village on June 16.
Succession and the Shift to Methodism
Lasike Kalolo was succeeded by his son, Tāniela (later known as Lasike Taniela), in 1881. However, Fr Castagnier noted that Tāniela was illegitimate and thus constitutionally ineligible for the title, as the Tongan constitution required succession to pass only to legitimate sons.
Lasike Kalolo did have a legitimate heir—his son Kamilo—but Kamilo declined the title. Even Kamilo’s younger brother refused the name, leaving the succession open despite legal restrictions.
According to the research, it appears that to secure his position in Tupou I’s court, Tāniela made the strategic decision to convert from Catholicism to Methodism.
Thirteen years after inheriting the title, Tāniela was ennobled by King George Tupou II.
He was succeeded by his son, Lasike Tēvita Tu‘amoheloa, whose mother, Mele Vaevau Tatu, was a granddaughter of Niupalavu, a brother of Tu‘i Kanokupolu Tuku‘aho.
The title later passed to Lasike Tēvita’s son, ‘Enelē Anga‘aetau, in 1934. With no legal heir, it eventually went to his nephew, Saletili Manu‘ofahiki Tu‘uhetoka, in 1970. Saletili died in 2001, and his son Havea Hikule‘o assumed the title in 2002, holding it until his own passing last month.
The loss and restoration of the title
As Kaniva News reported previously, on July 9, 2012, Lord Lasike was convicted in the Supreme Court of possessing ammunition without a license.
Lord Lasike lost his hereditary title and estates of Lasike, his seat in the Legislative Assembly and his position as Speaker.
All payments of remuneration, allowances and other entitlements to the plaintiff ceased from July 9, 2012.
Following his conviction, the Attorney General (AG), Mr. Adsett, insisted that he would advise the king to revoke Lord Lasike’s appointment as Speaker and the Legislative Assembly to call a by-election.
Lord Lasike then told Kaniva News that he questioned the Attorney General’s decision, as he was actively appealing his conviction.
Lord Lasike successfully appealed his conviction in the Supreme Court in October 2012 and regained his title and estates, but not his seat in Parliament or position as Speaker.
On February 7, 2013, His Majesty in Council restored the plaintiff to his hereditary title and estate of Lasike.
