Introduction

I have just finished interviewing and videotaping a minister of the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga. My Tongan assistant is slowly collecting the videotaping equipment and I am taking my leave from the minister formally thanking him for his time and patience with my non-native Tongan. When walking outside the ministry building, I ask my assistant if she had noticed an episode that took place while I was interviewing. There was a knock at the door and the minister, after interrupting his speech, allowed the person to come in. It was his secretary. She opened the door, bowed and kneeled profoundly, and then asked permission to deliver a written message. The minister told her to approach and deliver the message. She did so by keeping her kneeling position and finally exited the room still almost on her knees and continuing to bow, never turning her back to the minister.

I tell my assistant that I was a little surprised by this behavior, also because the minister is not a noble. My assistant replies that ministers are due the same respect as nobles are. First, she adds, it is only a very recent innovation that ministers are not nobles, and secondly, ministers are high dignitaries of the land and are entitled to receive the appropriate respectful behavior.