Ko e Lōmaki Mangalongataʻa
ʻOKU fakafuofua ko e taʻu nai ʻe 4,300 kuo hilí, naʻe ʻi ai ʻa e lōmaki fakatupu ʻauha naʻá ne lōmekina ʻa e māmaní. Naʻá ne fakaʻauha ʻa e meimei meʻamoʻui kotoa pē, ʻi he foʻi matafi kāfakafa pē ʻe taha. Koeʻuhi ko e fuʻu meʻa kāfakafa pehē faú kuo hoko ai ia ʻo taʻealatāmateʻi mei he manatu ʻa e faʻahinga ʻo e tangatá, pea ko e talanoa ʻo kau ki ai kuo ʻoatu mei he toʻutangata ki he toʻutangata hoko mai.
Ko e taʻu ʻe 850 nai hili ʻa e Lōmakí, naʻe hiki ai ʻe Mōsese ko e tangata fatutohi Hepelū ʻa e fakamatala ʻo kau ki he Lōmaki ʻi māmani lahí. Kuo tauhi mai ia ʻi he tohi Sēnesí ʻi he Tohitapú, ʻa ia te tau malava ʻo lau hono ngaahi fakaikiiki maeʻeeʻa leleí ʻi he Sēn vahe 6 ki he vahe 8.
Ko e Fakamatala ʻa e Tohitapú ki he Lōmakí
ʻOku fakahā ʻe he tohi Sēnesí ʻa e ngaahi fakaikiiki ko ení, ʻa ia ʻoku hā mahino ko e fakamatala ʻa ha taha naʻe sio tonu ki ai: “ʻI he taʻu ko hono onongeau ʻo e moʻui ʻa Noa, ʻi hono ua ʻo e mahina, pea mo hono ʻaho hongofulu ma fitu ʻo e mahina, ʻi he ʻaho ko ia naʻe fakapa ai ʻa e ngaahi matavai ʻo e moana lahi, pea naʻe tangaki ʻa e ngaahi katupa ʻo e langi. Pea naʻe lolo ki he fonua ʻa e lomaki, ʻo ʻaho fangofulu; pea naʻe hake ʻa e vai, ʻo fakamaʻanu ʻa e aake ke mamaʻo mo e funga fonua. Pea huʻa ʻaupito ʻa e vai ki he fonua; pea naʻe lofia kotoa pe ʻa e ngaahi moʻunga maʻolunga ʻi lalo langi katoa.”—Sēnesi 7:11, 17, 19.
ʻOku pehē ʻe he Tohitapú ʻo fekauʻaki mo e uesia naʻe fakahoko ʻe he Lōmakí ki he ngaahi meʻamoʻuí: “Pea naʻe mate ʻa e kakano kotoa pe naʻe ngalengale ʻi he fonua; pe ko e manupuna, pe ko e manu lalata, pe ko e manu kaivao, pe ko e manu kehekehe ʻoku totolo ʻi he fonua, kaeʻumaʻa ʻa e tangata kotoa pe.” Kaekehe, naʻe hao moʻui atu ʻa Noa mo e niʻihi kehe ʻe toko fitu, fakataha mo e ngaahi faʻahinga ʻo e fanga manu, fanga manupuna, mo e ngaahi meʻa kotoa pē ʻoku totolo ʻi he funga fonua. (Sēnesi 7:21, 23) Naʻe fakahaofi kotoa ʻeni ʻi he fuʻu ʻaʻake lahi naʻe tētē ʻa ia ʻoku fakafuofua ko e mita ʻe 133 hono lōloá, pea mita ʻe 22 hono fālahí, pea mita ʻe 13 hono māʻolunga. Koeʻuhi ko e faʻunga ʻo e ʻaʻaké ke malu mei he vaí pea ke tētē, naʻe ʻikai ke fuopotopoto hono falikí, pea ʻikai ke ʻi ai hano taumuʻa, pe ha founga ke fakalele ia, pe ha foheʻuli ke fakaʻuli ʻaki. Ko e ʻaʻake ʻa Noá ko e fuʻu puha tapafā lōloa pē, hangē ha ʻaiʻangameʻá.
ʻI he ʻosi ʻa e māhina ʻe nima mei he kamata ʻa e Lōmakí, naʻe toka ʻa e ʻaʻake ʻi he ʻotu moʻunga ʻo ʻAlalaté, ʻa ia ʻoku tuʻu ʻi he tafaʻaki fakahahake ʻo Toake ʻo onopooní. Naʻe hū mai ʻa Noa mo hono fāmilí ki tuʻa mei he ʻaʻaké ki he fonua kuo mōmoa ʻi he ʻosi ia ʻa e taʻu ʻe taha mei he kamata ʻa e Lōmakí ʻo nau kamata foʻou ʻa e nofo anga-maheni ʻo e moʻuí. (Sēnesi 8:14-19) Faifai atu pē, naʻe fanafanau feʻunga ʻa e faʻahinga ʻo e tangatá ke kamata hano langa ʻa e fuʻu kolo ko Pēpelí mo hono taua ʻiloa ofi ki he Vaitafe ʻEufaletesí. Naʻe toki māmālie pē ʻa e fakamovete atu mei ai ʻa e kakaí ki he ngaahi feituʻu kotoa pē ʻo e māmaní ʻi hono veuveuki ʻe he ʻOtuá ʻa e lea ʻa e faʻahinga ʻo e tangatá. (Sēnesi 11:1-9) Ka ko e hā ʻa e meʻa naʻe hoko ki he ʻaʻaké?
Ko e Fekumi ki he ʻAʻaké
Talu mei he senituli 19, kuo ʻi ai ʻa e ngaahi feinga lahi ke kumi ʻa e ʻaʻaké ʻi he ʻotu moʻunga ʻo ʻAlalaté. Ko e ʻotu moʻunga ko ʻení ʻoku ʻi ai hono tumutumu maʻolunga ʻe ua, ko e taha ʻoku mita ʻe 5,165 hono māʻolunga pea mo e taha ʻoku mita ʻe 3,914. Ko e tumutumu māʻolunga tahá ʻoku ʻufiʻufi maʻu pē ʻe he sinoú. Koeʻuhi ko e ngaahi liliu ʻo e ʻeá ʻi he ʻosi ʻa e Lōmakí, naʻe vave nai ʻa e tanumia ʻo e ʻaʻaké ʻe he sinoú. ʻOku tui fakapapau ʻa e niʻihi ʻo e kau fekumí ʻoku kei ʻi ai pē ʻa e ʻaʻaké, ʻo tanumia loloto ʻi he ʻaisí. ʻOku nau taku naʻe ʻi ai ʻa e ngaahi vahaʻa taimi ne vaia feʻunga ai ʻa e ʻaisí ʻo ʻasi taimi nounou ʻa e konga ʻo e ʻaʻaké.
ʻI he tohi ko e In Search of Noah’s Ark ʻoku hā ai ʻa e fakamatala ʻa George Hagopian, ko e tangata ʻĀmenia ia, naʻá ne taku naʻá ne kaka ʻi he Moʻunga ʻAlalaté ʻo ne sio ki he ʻaʻaké he 1902 pea toe pehē ʻi he 1904. Naʻá ne pehē, ʻi heʻene ʻuluaki kaká naʻá ne kaka ʻi he funga ʻo e ʻaʻaké. “Naʻá ku tuʻu hangatonu ki ʻolunga pea u sio ki he vaká kotoa. Naʻe lōloa ia. Ko hono māʻolungá naʻe mita ʻe taha ua nai.” Naʻá ne pehē ʻo fekauʻaki mo e meʻa naʻá ne sio ki ai ʻi heʻene ʻaʻahi hono hokó: “Naʻe ʻikai te u sio ki ha fuʻu ngaofeʻanga. Naʻe kehe ʻaupito ia mei ha toe faʻahinga vaka kuo u sio ai ʻi ha toe taimi ki muʻa. Naʻe hangē nai ha lafalafá.”
Naʻe fai ʻe Fernand Navarra ha feinga tuʻo fā mei he 1952 ki he 1969 ke maʻu ha fakamoʻoni ki he ʻaʻaké. ʻI heʻene fononga hono tolu ki he Moʻunga ʻAlalaté, naʻá ne ʻalu ki he takele ʻo ha mafahi ʻi he ʻaisí, ʻa ia naʻá ne ʻilo ai ha konga ʻakau ʻuliʻuli kuo ʻefihia ʻi he ʻaisí. Naʻá ne pehē: “ʻOku pau pē naʻe fuʻu lōloa, pea mahalo naʻe kei piki ki he ngaahi konga kehe ʻo e faʻunga ʻo e vaká. Naʻá ku lava ʻo fahi pē ʻo fakatatau ki he huʻu ʻa e konga ʻakaú kaeʻoua kuo u haeʻi ha konga feʻunga hono lōloá mo e mita ʻe taha mo e konga nai.”
Naʻe pehē ʻe he palōfesa ko Richard Bliss, ko e taha ia ʻo e kau poto mataotao tokolahi naʻa nau siviʻi ʻa e konga ʻakaú: “Ko e konga ʻakau ko ʻeni ʻa Navarra ko e pimi faʻunga ia pea kuo hūhū ai ʻa e valitā. ʻOku ʻi ai hono ngaahi hokoʻanga toʻoliu mo e fakanifo. Pea ʻoku fakapapauʻi ko e ngāué ni naʻe fai ʻaki ʻa e nima pea ʻoku tapa tatau.” ʻOku fakafuofua ʻa e motuʻa ʻo e konga ʻakaú ni ki he taʻu ʻe fā afe pe nima afe.
Neongo ʻa e ngaahi feinga kuo fai ke ʻilo ʻa e ʻaʻaké ʻi he Moʻunga ʻAlalaté, ka ko e fakamoʻoni papau ʻo pehē naʻe ngāueʻaki ia ke fai fakahaofi ʻi ha fuʻu lōmaki fakatupu ʻauhá ʻoku ʻi he fakamatala kuo hiki ʻi he tohi Sēnesi ʻo e Tohitapú ʻo kau ki he meʻa ko ia naʻe hokó. ʻOku hā ʻa hono fakapapauʻi ʻo e fakamatala ko ʻení ʻi he ngaahi talatupuʻa lahi ʻo kau ki he lōmakí ʻa ia ko e faʻu ʻe he kakai ʻoku kei nofo fakakuongamuʻa ʻi he ngaahi feituʻu ʻi māmani lahi. Fakakaukau atu ki heʻenau fakamoʻoní ʻi he kupu ko ia ʻoku hoko maí.
[Fakatātā ʻi he peesi 4, 5]
Ko hono lahi ʻo e meʻa naʻe lava ke faʻo ʻi he ʻaʻaké ʻoku tatau tofu pē mo ia ʻoku lava ke faʻo ʻi he ngaahi lēlue uta koloa ʻe 10 ʻoku ʻi ai ʻa e ngaahi taulani ʻAmelika ʻe 25 nai ki he lēlue taki taha!