Question
Gramps,
When or who was the first Tongan man to receive the priesthood? I know about the missionaries. This is just for my curiosity.
Bernice
Answer
Bernice,
In doing some research on this, I found a couple of references to a Siosifa Naeat. His daughter in law, in writing her geneological record of her family, states that he was the first Tongan that was given the Melchizedek Priesthood in Tonga when the LDS Church first came to the islands of Tonga.
In an article on lds.org it also mentions that Siosifa Naeat was one of the first Tongans to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. LDS Church News – More than 1,000 gather to honor island pioneer
Now as far as the time frame, I’m not sure. Missionaries first went to the islands of Tonga in 1891. However the missionary effort there was stopped. Missionary work was reopened in 1907. The first mission president was called in 1916. At what point the Melchizedek Priesthood was given to men living on the Tongan islands is unknown to me.
Gramps
