What if I told you that Ata is more than just a spot on the map? Ata is a depopulated island at the far southern end of the Tonga archipelago. It sits about 160 kilometers south-southwest of Tongatapu.
Let’s delve into Ata’s story. It is distinct from Atā. Atā is an uninhabited coral island along the Piha passage on Tongatapu’s north side. Ata means reflection in Tongan. Ata means dawn and is the title of a chief. Atā means more room or expanding.
Most of Ata’s land is a high plateau. It rises 60 to 100 meters above sea level. Steep cliffs and rocky beaches ring the entire island. There are three minor peaks. Two are on the west side and one on the east. They range from 180 to 309 meters in elevation. The island’s total land area is about 1.5 square kilometers.
Although volcanic action formed it, no volcanic activity is recorded. The anchorage for Ata is on the west side of the island. Kolomaile was the only settlement on Ata. It means Myrtle town. It sat near the eastern hill. The village had three sections: Hihifo, Auloto, and Pea.
Ata features in old Tongan myths. Some claim it was forgotten until Europeans mentioned it. According to myth, the Maui brothers hauled up Ata and ʻEua from the sea. Ata originally had seven hills. Maui stamped on the highest mountains until they flattened. He did this until only three hills were left. Laufakanaʻa was Ata’s first ruler.
Archaeologist Atholl Anderson explored Kolomaile in 1977. It had been abandoned for over a century. He found stone walls and signs of inhabitants. Radiocarbon dating suggests settlement began in the 1500s or 1600s. A later survey found pottery fragments from 400 BC. This means the settlement is much older than thought.
Oral tradition says Hama discovered Ata. Motuʻapuaka and Tapuʻosi were the first Tongans to live there. They eloped to escape Tapuʻosi’s father, Tuʻi Tonga Fakanaʻanaʻa. When they arrived in the early 1700s, the locals frightened Tapuʻosi. Motuʻapuaka drove them into a cave and suffocated them with a fire. The lovers were accompanied by attendants. They were joined by other exiles throughout the 1700s.
Abel Tasman was the first European to reach Ata in 1643. He named it Pylstaert Eylant, arrowtail in Dutch. This was because of the many tropic birds he saw. Adverse winds kept him from getting closer. He saw no natives in canoes. From his view, the island looked like a woman’s breasts.
Captain James Cook visited in 1773. Lapérouse corrected its coordinates. It was well known to whaling ships as Pylstaart. Because of its remote location, Ata was largely self-governed. Charles St Julian reported its population as 150 in 1857. It suffered greatly in the Peruvian slave trade of 1862 to 1864.
In 1862, Peru sought indentured laborers for guano collection. Ships kidnapped people instead. In June 1863, about 350 people lived on Ata in Kolomaile. Captain Thomas James McGrath of the Grecian lured islanders aboard for trade. He locked them in and sailed away with 144 people.
In 1929, former residents said Paul Vehi arranged the kidnapping. Families sent good-looking men aboard with provisions to sell below decks. Once inside, the doors were locked.
The Grecian tried to kidnap more slaves from other islands. At Niuafouʻou, they only got 30 people. At ʻUiha, islanders ambushed the slaver Margarita. The Grecian met the General Prim near Puka-Puka. The General Prim took the Tongans back to Peru. Peru canceled labor licenses. The General Prim could not land. Ships took the slaves home.
The Adelante was chartered to return the Tongans. Many died from disease. Captain Escurra marooned survivors on Cocos Island. The whaler Active found 200 survivors. The Peruvian warship Tumbes rescued 38.
King George Tupou I evacuated Ata. He resettled the remaining 200 people on ʻEua. The Vehi family faced rumors they sold the villagers. McGrath was arrested in New Zealand for tax evasion.
In June 1965, six Tongan youths were stranded on Ata. They ran away from boarding school in Nukuʻalofa. They stole a boat and drifted southwest in a storm. They survived on seabirds, feral chickens, wild taro, and bananas. Peter Warner rescued them on September 11, 1966. They were briefly jailed for stealing the boat.
Descendants of Ata’s original dwellers still live in Haʻatua on ʻEua. They call part of it Kolomaile. They wished to return to Ata. This is unlikely as the island lacks a harbor. Ata remains uninhabited as part of Tonga.
Since 1863, no one has lived on Ata. Surveys of animal populations occurred in 1925 and 1990. The Polynesian rat is the only native mammal. The most common seabird is the wedge-tailed shearwater. Ata’s plateau is heavily forested with fig trees.
Ata stands as a testament to resilience. It reminds us of ancient myths, tragic events, and the enduring spirit of its people.