ʻUluakimata I

ʻUluaki-mata, also known as Teleʻa (active c. 1580-1600 CE ), was the twenty-ninth Tuʻi Tonga. He was reportedly one of the mightiest of these rulers, although his power was often characterized as spiritual rather than political. Many traditions recount that his reign was marked by great social changes.

Reign According to some traditions, ʻUluaki-mata was of the lineage of Lo'au. Made in ʻUvea (Wallis), the Lomipeau could reportedly carry hundreds of people, and was used for a number of sacred and prestigious purposes. Her grave is still on the top of ʻEuakafa. ʻUluaki-mata never returned to Vavaʻu.

One tradition concerning ‘Uluakimata's death states that he was drowned at sea and his body was lost; another states that he is buried in the Paepae ʻo Teleʻa.

Descendants ʻUluaki-mata's children included his daughter Sinaitakala-‘ilangileka (a Tuʻi Tonga Fefine, she married a chief from Fiji) and his son Fatafehi.

He was succeeded as Tu'i Tonga by Fatafehi.