Lucky Charms of Tonga

Tonga, the only remaining monarchy in the Pacific, maintains a traditional social structure with strong protective ceremonial practice. Tongan kava (ʻava) ceremonies are the central ritual for seeking ancestral blessing and protective guidance. The tabua (polished sperm whale tooth) is Tonga's most precious ceremonial object, exchanged at births, marriages, funerals, and diplomatic events as a supreme gift of blessing.

Tongan barkcloth (ngatu), painted with specific geometric designs, is given as a prestige gift at major life ceremonies and carries the accumulated blessing of the women who made it. Christianity is deeply embedded — Tongan Methodist faith is particularly strong — and crosses, prayer books, and rosary beads are standard protective objects. The shark, considered an ancestor of certain clans, carries protective associations for those clans.