Haamonga a Maui ("The Burden of Maui") is a stone trilithon located in Tonga, on the eastern part of the island of Tongatapu, in the village of Niutōua, in Heketā. It was built in the 13th century by King Tuitātui in honor of his two sons. The monument is sometimes called the "Stonehenge of the Pacific".
History
According to traditional accounts, the monument was made by the folk hero Maui, as the stones were thought to be too large for mortals to handle. Maui was supposed to have obtained the stones from Uvea Island, and carried them to Tonga in a giant canoe.
Historical analysis places its creation around 1200 AD, under Tuitātui, the eleventh Tui Tonga (King of Tonga) and his high chief Loʻau, most likely as a gateway to Heketā, or the royal compound. It was built in honor of the king's two sons, who are represented by the two upright stones, and their bond represented by the lintel stone on top. According to Tevita Fale, there is a V-shaped mark on top of the lintel that aligns with the rising of the sun during the solstices and equinoxes.