Takala

Takala (died June 1832) was a Wallisian customary chief of the Mua District who ruled as King of Uvea from 1831 to 1832. A descendant of King Vehi'ika, he took advantage of the arrival of a Hawaiian merchant, Siaosi Manini, to overthrow king Soane-Patita Vaimua Lavelua. After Manini's defeat at the end of January 1832, he lost his title. He died a few months later after another violent altercation with British and American sailors.

Background Takala was a chief of the Mua District and a son of King Vehi'ika. Firmly established in the south of Wallis, he was a competitor of the Takumasiva lineage, established in Hahake. His rival, Soane-Patita Vaimua Lavelua I, was named king around 1828.

Accession to power In 1829, a mixed-Spanish Hawaiian trader, Siaosi Manini,

In 1830, Takala and several Wallisians traveled with Manini to Hawaii, where the merchant recruited a crew to fish for beche-de-mer. According to Hawaiian historian Samuel Kamakau, this was the first time Wallisians were seen in Hawaii. Takala returned to Wallis at the beginning of 1831, to the Nukuatea islet which he sold to Manini in exchange for a variety of trade goods (knives, axes, fabrics and other miscellaneous objects). Manini and his Hawaiian crew set up a large house on the islet, a workshop for preparing sea cucumbers and around thirty huts to house the workers. A fort with nine guns was also erected. The next day, an American ship discovered the killing and warned a British warship, HMS Zebra. This sloop arrived at 'Uvea in June 1832 and soon an exchange of fire took place. Takala died in the ensuing battle.