AAPI Heritage: How a community of Tongans created a home away from home in North Texas

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

NBC 5 is highlighting North Texans who are proud of their culture and how it has shaped what it means to be part of the fastest-growing population in Texas.

This week, we're highlighting a community in Euless that lives more than 6,000 miles from their island home in the South Pacific but has managed to bring a little bit of their home to North Texas.

There is a thriving community of Tongans in DFW, numbering a whopping 6,000 to 7,000. Many of these families are centered in the Euless area, as told through an insightful history lesson by community leader, Ofa Faiva-Siale.

“That’s the big thing about Euless, and why the migration I believe settled here – is the proximity to the airport,” she said. “We can trace back the first Tongan couple that moved here in 1971 – it had to do with American Airlines coming to the area and the new airport was being built here.”

She said that the family noticed the cost of living at the time was very inexpensive, so they brought more of their family from Tonga. From there, more relatives brought friends and family – and then the rest is history. Euless’ proximity to the airport not only provided jobs but also made it easy for families to hop on a flight to Tonga, New Zealand and other areas where family lived.

Faiva-Siale herself was born in Tonga and migrated with her family to the U.S. in the 1970s, first arriving in California. She moved to Euless in 1984 as a teen. At that point, Tongans had been living in the city for ten years but the community was still establishing its roots.

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"I was fortunate enough to be one of the teenagers that first moved here, and a lot of the older folks moved and settled. We congregated around the first Tongan church, which is typical for Tongans -- to find churches and live near them,” she said. “All of the different religions went to church together there, so we were able to hear the gospel and hear the word of God in Tongan and sing in Tongan together."

From one church to now many in different denominations, there are now a total of 10 churches connected to the Tongan culture across Euless.

Faiva-Siale was also one of two Tongan students in her graduating class back then but now, it has grown to 50 to 60 students of Tongan descent that graduate per year, she says.

"The families, they love Texas and they love the surrounding area. The existing communities here have been accepting, allowing us to adapt and adjust, knowing the difference in culture and the way we do things," said Faiva-Siale.

One of the biggest cultural differences she recalls seeing families adjust to over the years is how Tongans celebrate the life of a loved one who has passed away.

"When we have funerals, you know, it's a five to ten event. Hundreds of people come and go and people are sitting on neighbor's grass and yards. And, we're roasting pigs, having grills over here, and we're mass feeding the community," said Faiva-Siale, slightly chuckling. "We have to learn to also adapt and adjust -- there are city ordinances and there are things that we could do in Tonga where your space is shared, even property…We have to learn, that's not how it is here."

But Tongans have adapted, she said. Funerals are now just a two-day event. However large cultural celebrations are still part of the fabric of the Tongan community here in North Texas.

To read more about the history of Tongans in Euless, click here.

Over the decades, groups have formed to help support families arriving from Tonga or working to stay connected to their culture, including the Euless Tongan Community Committee and the Tongan Youth Association of Texas.

Through these groups, community leaders have helped families experiencing cultural and language barriers, provided scholarships for youth, and hosted cultural and educational events to help children understand the origins of their history.

"I know that those who came before – who paid the sacrifice to leave home and leave everything that's familiar to find a better life for their descendants – I think they have done well and have helped those of us that are here today,” said Faiva-Siale.

One of their proudest moments actually happened a couple of weeks ago when the prime minister of the Kingdom of Tonga himself, Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, visited Euless.

His delegation was in town for a large EarthX environmental conference in Dallas. Faiva-Siale said he specifically requested to meet with the group because he was proud that such a huge community of Tongans had created a home so far from home.

Faiva-Siale said the city of Euless, the school district and so many from her community group helped spring into action to help plan a welcome celebration for the Prime Minister.

"One of the comments from the prime minister and the ambassador was how happy they were to come all the way into deep America and to see that the youth are still dressed in the traditional costumes," she said. “The prime minister's wife cried and she wept almost the whole time to see it. That was a great indication, it was a good program for them.”

Football players from Euless’ Trinity High School, made up of many Tongan students, performed the Sipi Tau war dance which is typical for Tongan ceremonies. Woman and youth also dressed in traditional woven dresses and skirts to perform dances, alongside a dinner full of traditional food.

“Luckily for us, the city of Euless has been 10,000 percent supportive. They've always been supportive to help us keep our culture and to help us maintain as much of it as we can,” said Faiva-Siale, who herself works for the city alongside many officers and other Tongans who hold leadership roles in the community.

The community group hosts cultural events every year and accepts support from North Texans on various projects.

To follow the Euless Tongan Community Committee, click here.

To follow the Tongan Youth Association of Texas, click here.