Thomas Riddle Niua Islands recordings

Thomas Riddle, from Ravenna, Ohio, graduated from Kent State University in 1974, which at that time had become the ground zero of the Vietnam anti-war movement. Riddle joined the US Peace Corps shortly after graduation. He enlisted to volunteer in the Kingdom of Tonga from 1974 to 1978, where he taught English and Science in middle and high schools on the islands of Tongatapu, ‘Eua, and Niuatoputapu.

In February 1977, he began a teaching position at ‘Atenisi High School with the understanding that he would take the last term off to conduct research. ‘Atenisi founder, Futa Helu, and other professors, suggested that he travel to the islands of Niuatoputapu, Tafahi and Niuafo’ou, to collect and record stories from the islands’ elders. The school offered to fund the tapes, film and boat fares, while funds for transcribing and translation of the material were provided by Wendy Pond.

The recorded interviews made on these trips contributed to his self-published work, ‘Talks from Tafahi: Talks with the elders of Tafahi, an outer island in the Kingdom of Tonga’, as well as the landmark publication ‘The Fire has Jumped: Eyewitness Accounts of the Eruption and Evacuation of Niuafo’ou’, edited by Garth Rogers.

In 1989 Riddle received a master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In 1999, he enrolled in San Francisco's Bay Area Video Coalition and promptly travelled to Southeast Asia with, what at that time was cutting edge equipment, beginning his career in moviemaking.