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Ruatapu
Ruatapu was a son of the great chief Uenuku, and a master canoeist in Polynesian tradition who is said to have lived around 30 generations ago. Most Māori stories agree he was an older half-brother of Paikea and 69 other sons, while traditions recorded from the Cook Islands sometimes state he was Uanuku Rakeiora's only son. In the oral traditions of the Cook Islands, Ruatapu travels around central Polynesia; from the Society Islands, to the Cook Islands, and lastly to Tonga before coming back to the Cook Islands to live out the rest of his days and eventually die at Aitutaki. Most traditions record him as a prominent ancestor, gaining three wives between the last two groups of islands. Cook Island traditions The stories relating to Ruatapu's life are fairly consistent with each other. The Journal of the Polynesian Society records at least two variations given from Aitutaki recorded from historian Timi Koro, and Chief Isaia, and Chief Tararo of Ma'uke, translated by Major ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paikea
is a notable ancestor who originated in Hawaiki according to Māori tradition. He is particularly known to tribes with origins in the Gisborne District such as , and . is the name assumed by because he was assisted by a whale to survive an attempt on his life by his half-brother . On the island of Aitutaki, he is also known as a brother of Ruatapu, but is not as famous as him. In an account, probably from the Kāti Kurī hapū of Ngāi Tahu, the family lived on Mangaia. 's shame became offended when his father elevated his older half-brother ahead of him. When was about to use a sacred comb belonging to , rebuked him, pointing out that was of high rank while was of low birth, because his mother was a slave wife. Some tellings also say Uenuku had built a canoe for his 70 sons and set about to do their hair with sacred combs for the first voyage, or that Ruatapu was about to use Uenuku's own sacred comb rather than Kahutia's. Either way, Ruatapu is told he cannot use an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uenuku
Uenuku (or Uenuku-Kōpako, also given to some who are named after him) is an atua of rainbows and a prominent ancestor in Māori tradition. Māori believed that the rainbow's appearance represented an omen, and one kind of yearly offering made to him was that of the young leaves of the first planted kūmara crop.Best, Elsdon"Rainbow Myths", ''Maori Religion and Mythology'' Part 2, p. 414, P.D. Hasselburg, Wellington, New Zealand, 1982. He was a tribal war god invoked before battles, particularly in the northern half of the country. It was said that if a taua appeared under the arch of the rainbow, it would be defeated in battle, and likewise, if they appeared to either side of the rainbow, they would be victorious. The Māori identified hawk feathers and a particular star called ''Uenuku'' as being sacred to him. In Ngāti Porou and Ngāi Tahu stories, Uenuku was the Ariki of Hawaiki with 71 sons, all from different wives. In traditions from further north in the Pacific, Chief ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manuae (Cook Islands)
Manuae is an uninhabited atoll in the southern group of the Cook Islands, 100 kilometres south-east of Aitutaki. It is administratively part of Aitutaki, but it does not belong to any district or tapere of Aitutaki. It is, however, part of Arutanga-Reureu-Nikaupara Constituency. Geographic description Manuae is a true atoll sitting on the peak of a submerged volcano which descends over 4000 meters to the ocean bed. It comprises two horseshoe-shaped islets, ''Manuae'' to the west and ''Te Au O Tu'' to the east, with a total area of 6 km2 on either side of a lagoon about 7 km x 4 km. Manuae has an area of 2.1 km2, while Te Au O Tu's is 3.9 km2. The lagoon is 13 km2 in size, shallow and subject to large shifting sand banks. A coral reef surrounds the atoll, and there is no passage through the reef. The island is a marine park and is an important breeding ground for seabirds and marine turtles in the Central Pacific. The offshore waters of Manuae ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aitutaki
Aitutaki, also traditionally known as Araura and Utataki, is the second most-populated island in the Cook Islands, after Rarotonga. It is an "almost atoll", with fifteen islets in a lagoon adjacent to the main island. Total land area is , and the lagoon has an area of between . A major tourist destination, Aitutaki is the second most visited island of the Cook Islands. Aitutaki had a population of 1,712 in 2016. The main village is Arutanga (Arutunga) on the west side. Geography Aitutaki is sometimes described as an "almost atoll", for it consists of a lagoon within an encircling atoll, with a significant area of high land on one side. It has a maximum elevation of approximately with the hill known as Maunga Pu close to its northernmost point. The land area of the atoll is , of which the main island occupies . The Ootu Peninsula, protruding east from the main island in a southerly direction along the eastern rim of the reef, takes up out of the main island. For the lagoon, are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atiu
Atiu, also known as Enuamanu (meaning ''land of the birds''), is an island of the Cook Islands archipelago, lying in the central-southern Pacific Ocean. Part of the Nga-pu-Toru, it is northeast of Rarotonga. The island's population has dropped by two-thirds in the last 50 years. Geography Atiu is a raised volcanic island surrounded by a reef from which rise cliffs of fossilized coral (''makatea''). The makatea cliff forms a ring round the island, creating a virtual plateau. Erosion of the inside of the ring has formed a dip of about into fertile land, which gradually rises again to a central flat-topped hill. The low swampy land consists of taro plantations, marshes and a lake, Tiroto. This fertile area also grows bananas, citrus fruits, pawpaws, breadfruit and coconuts. The island is surrounded by a fringing reef. The ''makatea'' is honeycombed with caves, some of which have been used for burials. History Polynesians are believed to have lived on Atiu since at least ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mauke
Mauke (Ma'uke also Akatokamanava) is an island of the Cook Islands archipelago, lying in the central-southern Pacific Ocean. Part of the Nga-pu-Toru, it is northeast of Rarotonga. Geography Mauke is a raised coral atoll, with a central volcanic plateau surrounded by a jagged fossilised coral ''makatea'' which extends up to one mile inland. A narrow layer of swamps lies between the ''makatea'' and the plateau. The entire island is surrounded by a fringing reef, pierced by six passages, and sits atop an extinct volcano rising from the ocean floor. The volcanic soil in the island's center is relatively fertile, so it is called "The Garden of the Islands". The ''makatea'' is honeycombed with caves, including the Vaitango Cave, Moti Cave and Motuanga Cave. History According to oral tradition, Mauke was discovered by Uke, and the island was named "Ma'uke" - "the land of Uke" - after him. Uke's descents then went on to settle Atiu. Another legend states a son of Ruatapu was murde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polynesia
Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in common, including language relatedness, cultural practices, and traditional beliefs. In centuries past, they had a strong shared tradition of sailing and using stars to navigate at night. The largest country in Polynesia is New Zealand. The term was first used in 1756 by the French writer Charles de Brosses, who originally applied it to all the islands of the Pacific. In 1831, Jules Dumont d'Urville proposed a narrower definition during a lecture at the Geographical Society of Paris. By tradition, the islands located in the southern Pacific have also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mitiaro
Mitiaro, the fourth island in the Cook Islands group, is of volcanic origin. Standing in water deep it is across at its widest point. Geography Mitiaro, also known as Nukuroa, is part of the Nga-Pu-Toru island group formerly, a volcano that became a coral atoll. The coral died forming fossilised coral (known locally as ''makatea''). The island is surrounded by a belt of this makatea, between high and characteristic of islands in the southern group. The centre of the island is almost flat, quite swampy and contains two freshwater lakes, Rotonui (big lake) and Toto Iti (small lake). The lakes are teeming with eels ('' Anguilla obscura''),which the locals call itiki and who reach the lakes from the Ocean through underwater connections, and the imported tilapia from Africa where it is known as bream. Beaches are limited but there are subterranean limestone caves and the beach at low tide abounds in marine life. Important Bird Area The island has been designated an Important Bi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Makatea (district)
Makatea is one of four traditional districts on the island of Mauke in the Cook islands. It is in the west of the island, between the districts of Areora and Ngatiarua Ngatiarua is one of four traditional districts on the island of Mauke in the Cook islands. It is in the north of the island, between the districts of Makatea and Vaimutu, and is subdivided into five or six tapere. Mauke Airport Mauke Airport is .... References Districts of the Cook Islands Mauke {{CookIslands-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atua
Atua are the gods and spirits of the Polynesian peoples such as the Māori mythology, Māori or the Hawaiian religion, Hawaiians (see also ); the Polynesian languages, Polynesian word literally means "power" or "strength" and so the concept is similar to that of ''mana''. Today, it is also used for the monotheistic conception of God. Especially powerful atua included: * ''Rongo, Rongo-mā-Tāne'' – god of agriculture and peace * ''Tāne, Tāne Mahuta'' – creator of all living things such as animals, birds and trees * ''Tangaroa'' – god of the sea * ''Tūmatauenga'' – a god of war * ''Whiro'' – god of darkness and evil In Samoa, where means "god" in the Samoan language, traditional pe'a, tattooing was based on the doctrine of tutelary spirits. There is also a district on the island of Upolu in Samoa called Atua (district), Atua. Atua or gods were also the center of Māori mythology, Māori religion. In Māori mythology, Māori's belief, there was no such word as "reli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gardenia Taitensis
''Gardenia taitensis'', also called Tahitian gardenia or tiaré flower, is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is an evergreen tropical shrub that grows to tall and has glossy dark green leaves that are long and are oppositely arranged along the stem. The flower is creamy white and pinwheel-shaped with 5–9 lobes, each long and fragrant. Native to the highland shores of the South Pacific, it has the distinction of being one of the few cultivated plants native to Polynesia. It is the national flower of French Polynesia and the Cook Islands. The name Tahitian gardenia is somewhat a misnomer because it is neither native nor naturalized in Tahiti. The first acceptable scientific name for the plant was based on Tahitian specimens collected by Jules Dumont d'Urville in 1824. Hence the scientific name of ''Gardenia taitensis'', and the English name of Tahitian gardenia or Tiaré flower. It was first collected in Tahiti, by the Forsters on Captain Cook's first Pacific v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuhl's Lorikeet
Kuhl's lorikeet (''Vini kuhlii''), also called the Rimitara lorikeet, Kuhl's lory, Manu 'Ura (local appellation) or Kura (Cook Islands), is a species of lorikeet in the family Psittaculidae. It is one of several species of '' Vini'' lorikeets found in islands ranging across the South Pacific. The Kuhl for whom Nicholas Aylward Vigors named the bird in 1824 was Heinrich Kuhl, a German ornithologist whose survey of the parrots, ''Conspectus psittacorum'', had appeared in 1819. Description It is a fast flying lorikeet with vibrant plumage; a green back, wings and crown, a blue nape and legs and bright red undersides and cheeks. The average length is and the average weight is . Habitat The Kuhl's lorikeet's habitat is natural tropical moist lowland forests and plantations. Like all ''Vini'' lorikeets it is a nectarivore, and has a brushy tongue to acquire the nectar. In islands denuded of native forests and covered with extensive coconut plantations it is found exclusively in those ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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