The Tongan–Fijian Wars For centuries, Fiji was a collection of powerful chiefdoms — each with its own alliances and rivalries. But across the Pacific, the mighty Tongan Empire was expanding… and its influence soon reached Fijian shores. Tongans first arrived as traders and settlers. But by the 1700s and early 1800s, they became deeply involved in local Fijian wars — sometimes as allies, sometimes as power seekers. Their strongest leader was Prince Maʻafu, a skilled warrior and strategist who bui