Archaeologists in Tonga say lapita find may identify first village settled

Archaeologists digging in Tonga for lapita pottery say Nukuleka, a village in the eastern district, may have been the first village settled by Tongans.

The head of the Canadian Archeological team, Professor David Burley, says the pieces of lapita they have unearthed show some of the Tongan traditional designs, or kupesi, used in the tapa cloth.

Professor Burley says when they compare the designs from other lapita pieces they have uncovered in PNG, New Caledonia, Fiji and Vanuatu, there are similarities in the design.