KO E hā te ke fili ko ha meʻaʻofa ia ki ha tokotaha mahuʻinga ʻaupito? ʻI he taimi ʻo e Tohi Tapú naʻe ʻi ai ha ngaahi sipaisi naʻe mahuʻinga ʻo hangē ha koulá—ʻi heʻene mahuʻingá naʻe kau ia ki he ngaahi meʻaʻofa naʻe feʻunga mo ha tuʻi. * Ko e ʻuhinga ia naʻe foaki ange ai ʻe he kau ʻasitalolosiá ki he “tuʻi ʻo e kau Siú” ha ongo sipaisi namu lelei.—Mātiu 2:1, 2, 11.

Naʻe toe fakamatala ʻa e Tohi Tapú ʻi he ʻaʻahi ʻa e kuini ʻo Sipá kia Solomoné, naʻá ne “foaki ki he tuʻi ha taleniti koula ʻe teau ma uofulu, mo e meʻa namukakala ʻo lahi ʻaupito, mo e makakoloa: pea naʻe ʻikai ha meʻa namukakala hange ko ia naʻe foaki ʻe he Kuini ʻo Sipa kia Kingi Solomone.” * (2 Kalonikali 9:9) Naʻe toe foaki ʻe he ngaahi tuʻí kia Solomone ha meʻa namu kakala ko e fakahāhā ia ʻo ʻenau hōifuá.—2 Kalonikali 9:23, 24.

Ko e hā naʻe fuʻu mahuʻinga mo mamafa ai ʻa e ngaahi sipaisi peheé ʻi he taimi ʻo e Tohi Tapú? Koeʻuhí naʻe ʻi ai honau ngafa mahuʻinga, hangē ko hono ngāueʻaki kinautolu ki he ngaahi meʻa teuteú, ngaahi ouau fakalotú pea mo hono tanu ʻo e kau maté. (Sio ki he puha “ Ngāueʻaki ʻa e Ngaahi Sipaisi Namu Leleí ʻi he Taimi ʻo e Tohi Tapú.”) ʻI he ʻikai ngata pē ʻi hono fuʻu fiemaʻuá, naʻe totongi mamafa ʻa e sipaisí koeʻuhi ko hono utá mo hono fakamāketí.

ʻI he taimi ʻo e Tohi Tapú, naʻe tupu ʻa e ngaahi ʻakau sipaisi ʻe niʻihi ʻi he Teleʻa Sioataní. Ka, naʻe ʻi ai mo e ngaahi sipaisi ʻe niʻihi naʻe fiemaʻu ke hū mai. Naʻe lave ʻa e Tohi Tapú ki he ngaahi ʻakau sipaisi kehekehe. ʻI he kotoa ʻo e ngaahi sipaisí ni naʻe anga-maheni pē ʻa e angó, ʻaloé, paʻamé, sinamoní, ʻinisēnisi hinehiná mo e mulá. Tuku kehe ʻa e ngaahi meʻá ni, naʻe ʻi ai ha ngaahi meʻa fakaifoifo kai anga-maheni hangē ko e kūmini, miniti mo e tili.

Ko e ʻomi mei fē ʻa e ngaahi sipaisi kehekehe ko ení? Ko e ʻaloé, kāsiá mo e sinamoní naʻe maʻu ia ʻi he feituʻu ʻoku ui ʻi he ʻahó ni ko Siaina, ʻInitia mo Suli Langikā. Ko e ngaahi sipaisi hangē ko e mula mo e ʻinisēnisi hinehiná naʻe maʻu ia mei he ngaahi ʻakau naʻe tupu ʻi he toafá ʻo mafola mei he fakatonga ʻo ʻAlepeá ki Somālia ʻi ʻAfiliká. Pea ko e naʻatí naʻe maʻu pē ia mei ʻInitia mei he ʻotu moʻunga Himaleiá.

Ke aʻu ki ʻIsilelí, naʻe fiemaʻu ke uta ʻa e ngaahi sipaisí ʻo kolosi ʻi ʻAlepea. Ko e ola ʻo e meʻá ni, ʻi he lolotonga ʻo e mileniume ʻuluaki mo e ua K.M. naʻe hoko ai ʻa ʻAlepea ko e “tefito ia hono puleʻi ʻa e fefakatauʻaki ʻi he Hahaké mo e Hihifó,” ko e fakamatala ia ʻa e The Book of Spices. Ko e ngaahi kolo, kolo tau mo e ngaahi tauʻanga kalavana ʻi he kuonga muʻá naʻe maʻu ʻi Negev ʻi he fakatonga ʻo ʻIsilelí, ʻoku fakahaaʻi  ai ʻa e halanga ʻo e kau fefakatauʻaki sipaisí. Naʻe pehē ʻe he līpooti ʻa e World Heritage Centre of UNESCO ʻi he meʻá ni naʻe toe “hā atu ʻa e tupu lahi faufaua ʻi he fefakatauʻakí . . . mei he fakatonga ʻo ʻAlepeá ki he Metiteleniané.”

Ko e ngaahi kalavana uta sipaisí naʻa nau faʻa fononga ʻo kolosi ʻi ʻAlepea ʻi he maile nai ʻe 1,100 (1,800 km). (Siope 6:19) ʻOku lave ʻa e Tohi Tapú ki he kalavana ʻa e mēsianiti ko ʻIsimeʻelí ʻi heʻene uta ʻa e ngaahi sipaisi hangē ko e “nekoti mo e pame mo e latano” mei Kiliati ki ʻIsipite. (Sēnesi 37:25) Naʻe fakatau atu ʻe he ngaahi foha ʻo Sēkopé honau tokoua ko Siosifá ko ha pōpula ki he kau fefakatauʻaki ko ení.

Naʻe puleʻi ʻe he kau mēsianiti ʻAlepeá ʻi ha ngaahi senituli ʻa e lahi taha ʻo e fefakatauʻaki ʻo e sipaisí. Naʻa nau hoko ko e kau tufaki lahi taha ʻo e sipaisí mei ʻĒsia, hangē ko e kāsiá mo e sinamoní. Koeʻuhi ke fakalotosiʻiʻi ʻa e feituʻu Metiteleniané mei hono fai ha fefakatauʻaki fakakomēsiale fakahangatonu mo e ngaahi maʻuʻanga sipaisi ʻo e Hahaké, naʻe fakamafola ai ʻe he kau ʻAlepeá ha ngaahi talanoa fananga fekauʻaki mo e fakatuʻutāmaki hono maʻu mai ʻa e ngaahi sipaisí. Ko e maʻuʻanga moʻoni ʻo e sipaisí “ngalingali ko e fefakatauʻaki fakapulipuli lelei taha ʻi he kotoa ʻo e taimí” fakatatau ki he The Book of Spices.

Ko e hā ʻa e talanoa naʻe fakamafola ʻe he kau ʻAlepeá? Ko ha faihisitōlia Kalisi ʻo e senituli hono nima K.M. ko Helotōtasi naʻá ne fakamatala ki ha fananga fekauʻaki mo e fanga manupuna fakailifia ʻoku nau faʻu pununga ʻi he kili ʻo e sinamoní ʻi ha lilifa ʻoku faingataʻa ki aʻu ki ai. Ke maʻu ʻa e sipaisi mahuʻingá ni, naʻá ne pehē, naʻe tuku ʻe he kau tānaki sipaisí ha ngaahi kakanoʻi manu lalahi ʻi he veʻe lilifá. ʻE hanga leva ʻe he fanga manupuná ʻo ʻave ʻa e ngaahi  kakanoʻi manu lahi ki honau punungá pea ʻe ngangana leva ʻa e punungá ki he kelekelé. ʻE tānaki fakavave leva ʻe he kau tangatá ʻa e ngaahi kiliʻi sinamoní pea fakatau atu ia ki he kau mēsianití. Naʻe kamata ke mafolalahia ʻa e ngaahi talanoa peheé. Ka koeʻuhí, ko e “taʻepau ʻo e fakatuʻutāmaki hono tānaki ʻa e sipaisí, naʻe fakatau atu ia [sinamoní] ʻi he totongi naʻe mamafa ʻaupito,” ko e fakamatala ia ʻa e The Book of Spices.

Faai atu pē, naʻe fakaeʻa ʻa e fakapulipulí pea mole mo honau mafai kakató. ʻI he ʻuluaki senituli K.M. ko ʻAlekisanitulia ʻi ʻIsipité naʻe hoko ia ko e senitā fakakomēsiale ʻo e fefakatauʻaki sipaisí. ʻI he ʻiloʻi ʻe he kau folau tahí ʻa e anga ʻo ʻenau ngāueʻaki ʻa e matangi ʻo e faʻahitaʻu ʻuha ʻo e ʻŌseni ʻInitiá, naʻe folau ʻa e ngaahi vaka Lomá mei he taulanga ʻo ʻIsipité ki ʻInitia. Ko hono olá, naʻe lahi ange ʻa e ngaahi sipaisí pea maʻamaʻa ange.

ʻI he ʻahó ni ʻoku ʻikai toe fakatatau ʻa e mahuʻinga ʻo e sipaisí ki ha koula. Pea ʻoku faingataʻa ke tau toe fakakaukau atu ʻoku feʻunga ʻa e sipaisí mo ha meʻaʻofa ki ha tuʻi. Kae kehe, ko e laui miliona ʻo e kakai ʻi māmani lahi ʻoku nau hokohoko atu hono ngāueʻaki ia ki ha ngaahi meʻa fakanamulelei mo e faitoʻo pea ʻoku nau toe tānaki ia ki hono fakaifoifo ʻenau meʻakaí. Ko e moʻoni, ko e ngangatu ʻo e sipaisí ʻoku hoko ai ia ʻo kei ʻiloa ʻi he ʻahó ni, ʻo hangē pē ko ia ʻi he taʻu ʻe laui afe kuohilí.