Naʻe ʻIkai ke u Saiʻia ʻi he Ngāue Hisitōlia Fakafāmilí. Ka Naʻá ku Aʻusia Ha Ngaahi Mana

ʻOkatopa 2021

Fakaʻilekitulōnika Pē: Kakai Lalahi Kei Talavoú

Naʻe ʻIkai ke u Saiʻia ʻi he Ngāue Hisitōlia Fakafāmilí. Ka Naʻá ku Aʻusia Ha Ngaahi Mana

Fakahoko ʻe Yvonne Liu

Naʻe ʻikai maʻu ʻe hoku fāmili ʻi Taiuaní ha fakamatala lahi ki homau hisitōlia fakafāmilí, ka ʻi hono fakaʻaongaʻi e tuí, naʻá ku lava ai ʻo mamata tonu ki ha ngaahi mana.

ʻI hoku taʻu 10 mo nofo ʻi Taiuaní, naʻe fakafeʻiloaki mai ʻe heʻeku kuifefiné ʻa e ongo faifekaú ki homau fāmilí. Naʻe lava ʻeku tangataʻeikí ʻo papitaiso au, mo ʻeku faʻeé, mo hoku tuongaʻané. Ka neongo ia, hili pē ʻemau sila ʻi he temipalé, naʻe ʻikai toe ʻalu e toenga hoku fāmilí ki he lotú.

Ko ia, naʻe fakanatula pē ke fakafalala mai kiate au ʻa e fatongia ʻo e ngāue hisitōlia fakafāmilí. Ka naʻe ʻikai teitei faingofua e ngāue ko iá kiate au.

Naʻá ku feinga ke muimui ki he ngaahi fakaafe mei hotau kau taki ʻi he Siasí ke fakahoko ʻa e ngāue toputapú ni, ka koeʻuhí ko ha ngaahi fakafeʻātungia kehekehe, naʻe ʻikai ke u toe ngāue lahi ki ai.

Ko e taha, naʻe ʻikai teitei saiʻia ʻeku ongomātuʻá he fakakaukau ko ia ʻo hono fakahoko e ngāue fakatemipalé maʻá e kau pekiá. Naʻá na ongoʻi naʻa mau fakahoko ʻe kimautolu e filí maʻa ʻemau ngaahi kuí ke nau maʻu e ngaahi ouaú pea naʻe taʻetokaʻi ai ʻenau tauʻatāina ke filí.

Naʻe faingataʻa foki ke u maʻu ha fakamatala fekauʻaki mo ʻeku ngaahi kuí. Ko e tokolahi taha ʻo e ngaahi fāmili Siainá ʻoku nau tauhi ha tohi hohoko naʻe ui ko ha zupu ʻoku ʻi ai ha ngaahi lekooti ʻoku aʻu ki he 2000 B.C. Ka naʻe ʻikai maʻu ʻi he zupu ʻo hoku fāmilí ʻa e taʻu fāʻeleʻi mo e pekia ʻo ʻeku ngaahi kuitangatá pe ko ha faʻahinga fakamatala fekauʻaki mo ʻeku ngaahi kuifefiné, ko ia naʻe ʻikai lava ai ke u fakahū ha ngaahi hingoa ki he temipalé pe fakahoko e ngaahi ouaú maʻa ʻeku ngaahi kuí.

Hili e ngaahi fakafeʻātungia ko ʻení, naʻe tuku leva ʻeku ngāue ki he hisitōlia fakafāmilí.

Toe Kamata Foʻou

ʻI heʻeku aʻu ki he ʻunivēsití, kuo taʻu lahi e ʻikai ke u toe fakakaukau ki he hisitōlia fakafāmilí. Pea lolotonga ha semesitā ʻe taha, naʻe poupouʻi kimautolu ʻi homau siteikí ke fokotuʻu ha taumuʻa ke ʻave ha hingoa fakafāmili ki he temipalé. Naʻe palōmesi mai homau kau taki fakasiteikí kapau te mau lotu kimuʻa pea kamata ʻemau ngāue hisitōlia fakafāmilí, ʻe tataki kimautolu ki he ngaahi kui naʻa nau fie maʻu ke fakahoko honau ngaahi ouaú.

Naʻe ʻikai ke u fuʻu fiefia he kamataʻangá, ki he fakaafé ni. Kuó u ʻosi feinga kimuʻa pea ʻikai ola lelei.

Ka neongo ia, ʻi heʻeku lotu he ʻaho kotoa ke ola lelei ʻeku ngāue hisitōlia fakafāmilí pea maʻu ha loto-holi ke hoko atu ʻeku feingá, naʻe fakamolū hoku lotó. Pea ʻikai fuoloa mei ai, ne kamata ke u ongoʻi ha holi ke toe kamata foʻou.

Ne u ongoʻi ʻi ha pō ʻe taha, ha ueʻi mālohi ke fakaava hake ʻeku ʻakau fakafāmili ʻi he FamilySearch ʻo fekumi ki ha laine pau ʻo ʻeku ngaahi kuí. Hili haʻaku fekumi ki ha ngaahi hingoa kehekehe pea ʻikai ola lelei, ne u maʻu ha peesi uepisaiti ki ha taha ʻo ʻeku ngaahi kuí.

Ko hono moʻoní, ko e kui ko ʻení ko ha tokotaha ʻiloa ia lolotonga e tau fakalotofonua ʻi Taiuaní, pea naʻe lekooti kotoa ʻene fakamatalá ʻi he peesi ko ʻení, fakataha mo e ngaahi maʻuʻanga fakamatalá. Naʻá ku maʻu mei ai ha fakamatala lahi ange fekauʻaki mo ʻene fānaú mo e ongomātuʻá.

ʻI he fekumi ko ia ʻi he ʻinitanetí, ne u lava ai ʻo maʻu pea fakahū ha hingoa ʻe ono ki he temipalé he ʻaho ko iá, pea ʻi ha māhina pē ʻe taha kuó u fakahū ai ha hingoa ʻe 50 tupu.

Naʻe fakaofo ia.

Naʻá ku Fakahoko Nai ha Lelei?

Ne ʻikai fuoloa kuó u ʻave ha ngaahi hingoa lahi ki he temipalé, ka naʻá ku kei fehuʻia pē pe naʻe tali nai ʻe heʻeku ngaahi kui ʻi he tafaʻaki ʻe taha ʻo e veilí ʻa e ngaahi ouau ko ʻení. Naʻá ku fifili pe naʻá ku fakahoko nai ha lelei.

Ko ia ai naʻá ku lotua ha fakapapau. Pea ʻi heʻeku ʻalu hono hoko ki he temipalé, ʻi heʻeku fakaʻosi ha sila maʻa ha taha ʻo ʻeku ngaahi kuí, naʻe tafoki mai ʻa e faisila ʻo e temipalé kiate au mo ʻene loʻimataʻiá. Naʻá ne talamai naʻe lava ke ne ongoʻi e fiefia ʻeku kuí ʻi hono maʻu e ouaú.

Naʻá ku ʻiloʻi kuo tali ʻe he ʻOtuá ʻeku lotú pea ko e moʻoni naʻe fakahoko ʻe heʻeku ngāue fakafofongá ha lelei.

ʻI he fakalau ʻa e taimí, ʻoku teʻeki pē ke loko saiʻia ʻeku ongomātuʻá ʻi he fakakaukau ʻo e ngāue hisitōlia fakafāmilí. Ka kuó u ongoʻi hono fakafiemālieʻi mo poupouʻi au ʻe heʻeku ngaahi kuí, tautautefito ʻi he taimi ʻoku ou ongoʻi tuenoa ai ʻi heʻeku mālohi tokotaha pē ʻi hoku fāmilí. ʻOku ou ongoʻi ʻoku nau tokoni foki ke fakamolū mo e loto ʻo ʻeku ongomātuʻá.

Naʻe akonaki ʻa ʻEletā Sione A. Uitisou (1872–1952) ʻo e Kōlomu ʻo e Kau ʻAposetolo ʻe Toko Hongofulu Mā Uá ʻo pehē “ko ia pē ʻoku feinga ke tokoniʻi ʻa kinautolu ʻi he tafaʻaki ʻe taha ʻo e veilí ʻokú ne maʻu foki ha tokoni ʻi he tafaʻaki kotoa pē ʻo e moʻuí.”¹

Pea kuó u ongoʻi e tokoni ko iá mei he tafaʻaki ʻe tahá.

Ko e hisitōlia fakafāmilí ko e taha ia ʻo e ngaahi ngāue fakafiefia mo fakafiemālie taha te tau fakahoko ʻi heʻetau hoko ko e kāingalotu ʻo e Siasi ʻo Sīsū Kalaisí. ʻI heʻetau tānaki fakataha ʻa ʻIsileli ʻi he tafaʻaki ʻe taha ʻo e veilí, ʻoku tau tānaki fakataha ai ha “fuʻu kongakau ʻo ha kau ʻāngelo” ke tokoniʻi kitautolu ʻi heʻetau fononga fakamatelié, ʻoku tau fetuʻutaki ai mo e langí, pea tau ofi ange ai kia Kalaisi. Pea hangē ko e fakamoʻoni ʻa Sisitā Uenitī Uatesoni Nalesoní, “ʻE ʻomi ʻe he ngāue hisitōlia fakafāmilí ha ngaahi mana ki hoʻo moʻuí pea mo e moʻui ʻa kinautolu ʻokú ke ʻofa aí.”²

ʻOku ou ʻilo ʻoku moʻoni ia.

Tips for Finding Family Names

I worked with FamilySearch for a time. That experience taught me even more tips and tricks for finding family names. Here are just a few:

Pray beforehand and follow the Spirit.

Searching for family names can be similar to Nephi’s experience when he retrieved the brass plates (see 1 Nephi 3–4). We may not know where or how to start, but if we simply believe and act in faith like Nephi, we will be led by the Spirit. The Lord doesn’t give commandments without providing a way for us to fulfill them (see 1 Nephi 3:7). Heavenly Father wants us to find our ancestors, and He will show us the way as we continue to press forward with faith.
Use the Source Box feature on FamilySearch to work with others.

It’s likely that as you are working on your family history line, other distant relatives are working on the same line as well. You can add details in the Source Box telling others where you found the information about your ancestors, how accurate the information is, and what information still needs to be gathered. You can find more information about the Source Box feature on the FamilySearch website.
Look to resources that may contain information about your genealogy.

If you don’t have much information about your family tree, local government agencies can be a great place to start, as they may have access to certain records.

FamilySearch also contains more than six billion records from around the world that are free to anyone with a FamilySearch account. Use the Record Hints feature on FamilySearch to locate your ancestors and look for every possible source, from marriage records to death records, about your ancestors.

You could also try typing your family members’ names into a search engine. You might find a lot of information on the internet if your ancestors were famous or were involved in certain events during their lifetime.

Getting in touch with living extended family members can be helpful as well. They might be able to answer questions about your ancestors. It’s also a great excuse to catch up with family you might not know well.

Lastly, think outside the box. For instance, don’t be afraid to visit areas (or reach out on social media to someone who lives in an area) where your ancestors lived. You might find some surprising information.

Family history work can be hard sometimes, but there are so many resources to help you along the way. ʻOku fie maʻu pē ke tau loto-fiemālie ke fetuʻutaki ki he kakaí pea vilitaki atu ki muʻa!