Atiu, also known as Enuamanu (meaning ''land of the birds''), is an island of the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

, lying in the central-southern

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. Part of the Nga-pu-Toru, it is northeast of

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...

. The island's population has dropped by two-thirds in the last 50 years.

Geography

Atiu is a raised

volcanic island Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...

surrounded by a reef from which rise cliffs of fossilized

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

(''makatea''). The makatea cliff forms a ring round the island, creating a virtual plateau.

Erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

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 Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...

plantations, marshes and a lake, Tiroto. This fertile area also grows bananas, citrus fruits, pawpaws,

breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae) believed to be a domesticated descendant of ''Artocarpus camansi'' originating in New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippi ...

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 Polynesians form an ethnolinguistic group of closely related people who are native to Polynesia (islands in the Polynesian Triangle), an expansive region of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. They trace their early prehistoric origins to Island Sou ...

are believed to have lived on Atiu since at least 900 or 1000 AD. According to oral tradition, Atiu is named for the first man on the island, who was fathered by

Tangaroa Tangaroa (Takaroa in the South Island) is the great of the sea, lakes, rivers, and creatures that live within them, especially fish, in Māori mythology. As Tangaroa-whakamau-tai he exercises control over the tides. He is sometimes depicted as ...

. Other traditions identify various settlers, including Te Ariki-Mou-Taua, Mariri, and Nuku-kere-i-manu, as well as a visit by the navigator

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 tradit ...

. The island was unified in c.1760, and subsequently invaded and dominated neighbouring

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 volcani ...

and

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 bec ...

. The first recorded European to arrive at Atiu was

Captain Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

. He sighted the island on March 31, 1777, and made tentative contact with some of the people over the next few days. In early 1823 the missionary J.M. Orsmond left two

Borabora Bora Bora ( French: ''Bora-Bora''; Tahitian: ''Pora Pora'') is an island group in the Leeward Islands. The Leeward Islands comprise the western part of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, which is an overseas collectivity of the Frenc ...

n teachers on the island. Later that year

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

of the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational miss ...

arrived and converted the island's leader,

Rongomatane Ngaakaara Ariki Rongomatane Ngaakaara Ariki was an ''ariki'' of the island of Atiu in the Cook Islands. He established Atiuan domination over the neighbouring islands of Mitiaro, and Mauke through a succession of raids. He was converted to Christianity in 1823 by J ...

, to Christianity. This resulted in the island's population being resettled in a single settlement in its centre. Conversion saw Atiu's dominance of its neighbours fade. In the 1860s

Ngamaru Rongotini Ariki Ngamaru Rongotini Ariki (c. 1831 – 31 March 1903) was a sovereign of the Cook Islands. He was the ''ariki'' of the ''Ngamaru'' dynasty on the island of Atiu, one of the chiefdoms of '' Ngaputoru'', which consisted of three adjoining islands —A ...

, ''ariki'' of Atiu, Mauke and Mitiaro, married Makea Takau Ariki, a Rarotongan ''ariki''. As a result, in 1871 Atiu became part of the

Kingdom of Rarotonga The Kingdom of Rarotonga, ( rar, Mātāmuatanga Rarotonga) named after the island of Rarotonga, was an independent kingdom established in the present-day Cook Islands in 1858. In 1888 it became a protectorate of the United Kingdom by its own req ...

. In 1888 it became a British protectorate as part of the

Cook Islands Federation __NOTOC__ The Cook Islands Federation was created in 1891, after the Kingdom of Rarotonga was given the island of Aitutaki. It lasted until 1901, when it was given to New Zealand. Geography The Cook Islands Federation was made up of the islands ...

. In 1901 it was annexed by

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Post-annexation the island exported oranges, coffee and copra, but exports were disrupted by poor shipping, and collapsed in the 1950s. The citrus industry was revived in the 1960s, but declined again in the 1970s. Lack of economic opportunity had already begun to drive emigration to

in the 1950s, and the economic crisis of 1995 and 1996 and subsequent public sector reforms has led to the island's depopulation.

Demographics

Most human settlements are concentrated on the central hill. On 12 March 2003, the population of Atiu was 571, in five villages radiating out from the island's centre, giving the appearance of a human figure. The villages have essentially grown together into one since 1823. They represent the

tapere A Tapere or Sub-District is a low level of traditional land subdivision on five of the Southern Cook Islands (Rarotonga, Mangaia, Aitutaki, Atiu, and Mauke), comparable to the ahupua'a of the main Hawaiian Islands or to the kousapw of Pohnpei. Am ...

subdivisions prior to European contact. With their traditional names, the villages are: *

Teenui Village Teenui-Kurukava, is a village on Atiu in the Cook Islands. The village of Teenui has a population of 107. Enua Airport and Atiu Harbour are located in the village. Teenui also contains one of the largest churches in the Cook Islands, Cook Islands C ...

(Te-Kuru-Kava-Nui) *

Mapumai Village Mapumai Village (Mapumai-Nui-O-Ruavari), is a village on Atiu in the Cook Islands. On Atiu, Mapumai Village plays an important role, because it houses Enuamanu School, radio Atiu, and more. The population Population typically refers to the ...

(Mapumai-Nui-O-Ruavari) *

Ngatiarua Village Ngatiarua (Mokoero-Nui-O-Tautipa) is a village on the island of Atiu in the Cook Islands. Ngatiarua is the island's biggest village. 32 people live in the village. The village chief is Ngamaru Ariki.Mareta, Isaac, M., Utakea, E., & Utakea, T. (2015) ...

(Mokoero-Nui-O-Tautipa) * Areora Village (Areora-Nui-Te-Are-O-Tangaroa) * Tengatangi Village (Taturoa-I-Te-Puta-Marama) Each of the five villages in Atiu – visitors may not distinguish one from the other – has a meeting house which is very important to them. They are well maintained and the villagers have pride in them. In these houses they conduct village meetings and community functions like welcoming and feeding visitors, selling of products. Educational courses are conducted in these houses and when a big group from overseas visit they could be accommodated in here for the time they are on the island.Evaroa, B. (2015) Atiu Online: Points of Interest. Presentation at the Atiu Online: Developing Destination Content – Digital Enablement workshop, Atiu, 23 October 2015. Administratively, the small uninhabited island of

Takutea Takutea is a small uninhabited island in the Cook Islands, north-west of Atiu. Administratively, the island is considered part of Atiu, the closest island. It is owned equally by all inhabitants of Atiu and not allocated to one specific village ...

, now a bird sanctuary, is considered part of Atiu.

Culture

The Atiuans call themselves ''Toke-enua no Enuamanu'' ("worms of Enuamanu") because they were born on Atiu and hope to be buried there. There was once a custom on Atiu similar to that of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

of burying a newborn child's

placenta The placenta is a temporary embryonic and later fetal organ that begins developing from the blastocyst shortly after implantation. It plays critical roles in facilitating nutrient, gas and waste exchange between the physically separate mater ...

under a newly planted tree. This is the origin of the Atiuan saying: "We come from the land and go back to the land." 96% of the population identify themselves as

Cook Islanders Cook Islanders are residents of the Cook Islands, which is composed of 15 islands and atolls in Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. Cook Islands Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of the Cook Islands, although more Cook Islands Māori cur ...

. 49.6% identify themselves as affiliated with the

Cook Islands Christian Church The Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC) is the largest religious denomination in the Cook Islands. It belongs to the Reformed family of churches. The CICC is a Christian Congregationalist church and has approximately 18,000 members,Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, and 13.9% as

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventism, Adventist Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the Names of the days of the week#Numbered days of the week, seventh day of the ...

. A local custom is the ''tumunu'' or bush beer party. Brewing was introduced to the island by whalers, but the consumption of alcohol was banned by the missionaries and remained illegal until the 1980s, leading to a culture of secret brewing in the jungle. Originally organised as a secret society, the ''tumunu'' is now marketed as a tourism experience.

Economy

Atiu's economy is heavily government-supported, with 50% of the workforce employed by the public-sector. Following the collapse of the citrus industry and subsequent depopulation of the island, facilities are limited to a few shops, a lodge, and one motel. There is some tourism, and Atiu is the second most-visited outer island after

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 ...

. A new plant nursery was opened in 2020. Atiu is connected to the rest of the Cook Islands by

Enua Airport Enua Airport is an airport in Atiu in the Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_ ...

and a wharf at Taunganui Harbour. Previously powered by diesel generators, since 2018 it has been powered by a solar-battery power station.

Coffee

Atiu has a long history of growing coffee. Missionaries established it commercially in the early 19th century. By 1865, annual exports of coffee from the Cook Islands amounted to 30,000 pounds. The islands' ariki (high chiefs) controlled the land used for planting and received most of the returns. The commoners often saw little if any reward for their labour. In the late 1890s, Rarotongan coffee production suffered due to a blight that affected the plants. Coffee production declined and had to rely more on crops from the outer islands Atiu, Mauke and Mangaia. World Wars I and II resulted in a further export reduction and eventual standstill. In the 1950s the co-operative movement in the Cook Islands resulted in the re-establishment of coffee as a cash crop. On Atiu, under the supervision of New Zealand Resident Agent Ron Thorby and the Cook Islands Agriculture Department, new coffee plantations were established. The raw coffee was destined for export to New Zealand where it was processed and marketed. By 1983, the coffee industry had collapsed. Government stepped back and left the plantations to their landowners. The poor financial return from selling their coffee to a Rarotongan company for processing had prompted the farmers to stop production except for their own private use. The plantations were overgrown with creepers. Commercial coffee production was revived sometime in 1984, with the founding of Atiu Coffee Factory Ltd. by German economist Juergen Manske-Eimke. In 2012, the Atiu Coffee Factory managed of land and produced 4.5 tonnes of roasted beans. In 2015 the coffee factory closed and was taken over by Atiu Island Coffee.

Ecology

Flora

The flora of Atiu can be divided into five ecological zones.Menzies (1970), p. 13-15. The ''pa tai'' (coast) and ''Rautuitui'' (upland ''makatea''), are dominated by

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

s and ''

Pandanus tectorius ''Pandanus tectorius'' is a species of ''Pandanus'' (screwpine) that is native to Malesia, Papuasia, eastern Australia, and the Pacific Islands. It grows in the coastal lowlands typically near the edge of the ocean. Common names in English inclu ...

'', with patches of ''

Barringtonia asiatica ''Barringtonia asiatica'' (fish poison tree, putat or sea poison tree) is a species of ''Barringtonia'' native to mangrove habitats from islands of the Indian Ocean in the west to tropical Asia and islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It is g ...

'', ''

Elaeocarpus tonganus ''Elaeocarpus'' is a genus of nearly five hundred species of flowering plants in the family Elaeocarpaceae native to the Western Indian Ocean, Tropical and Subtropical Asia, and the Pacific. Plants in the genus ''Elaeocarpus'' are trees or shrubs ...

'', and ''

Hernandia moerenhoutiana ''Hernandia moerenhoutiana'' (also known as Mountain Lantern-tree, Jack-in-the-box, ''Tūrina'', ''Puka Tūrina'' (Cook Islands Māori), ''Pipi'' ( Samoan) or ''Pipi Tui'' ( Tongan)) is a species of flowering plant in the family Hernandiaceae. It ...

''. The ''Puna'' (swampy lowlands) are cultivated for taro, with grasses and forests in the drier parts. The ''Rautuanue'' (slopes) and ''maunga'' (mountain) are dominated by ''

Platycerium ''Platycerium'' is a genus of about 18 fern species in the polypod family, Polypodiaceae. Ferns in this genus are widely known as staghorn or elkhorn ferns due to their uniquely shaped fronds. This genus is epiphytic and is native to tropical and ...

'', ''

Casuarina ''Casuarina'' is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. It was once treated as the sole genus in the fami ...

'', and crops of pineapple and yams. In 2017 the Moko‘ero Nui Nature Reserve was established on the western side of the island, protecting 120 hectares of coastal forest.

Fauna

Endemic birds include the

Pacific imperial pigeon The Pacific imperial pigeon (''Ducula pacifica'') is a widespread species of pigeon in the family Columbidae. It is found in American Samoa, the Cook Islands, the smaller islands of eastern Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, the smaller satellite islands of ...

chattering kingfisher The chattering kingfisher (''Todiramphus tutus'') is a species of bird in the kingfisher family Alcedinidae. The species is found in the Cook Islands and the Society Islands in French Polynesia. Taxonomy The chattering kingfisher was formally ...

, and lilac-crowned fruit dove. The

Atiu swiftlet The Atiu swiftlet or Sawtell's Swiftlet (''Aerodramus sawtelli'') is a species of bird in the swift family, endemic to Atiu in the Cook Islands. This small, dark swift measures long. It is sooty-brown above, slightly lighter below. Its natural ...

or kopeka (''Aerodramus sawtelli''), a bird which uses echo-location, is found only on Atiu and nests inside Anatakitaki Cave.

Subfossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

remains show that the

Polynesian ground dove The Polynesian ground dove (''Pampusana erythroptera'') or ''Tutururu'' is a critically endangered species of bird in the family Columbidae. Originally endemic to the Society Islands and Tuamotus in French Polynesia, it has now been extirpated ...

Polynesian imperial pigeon The Polynesian imperial pigeon (''Ducula aurorae'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to French Polynesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane f ...

, and

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 fou ...

(Rimatara lorikeet, ''Vini kuhlii'') were all at one stage extant on Atiu before being extirpated. Because the island is free of

black rat The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is n ...

s, it was chosen as a site for reintroduction of the

Rarotonga monarch The Rarotonga monarch (''Pomarea dimidiata''), also known as the Rarotonga flycatcher or ''kakerori'', is a species of bird in the monarch flycatcher family Monarchidae. It is endemic to the Cook Islands. Taxonomy and systematics The Rarotonga m ...

in 2001, and Kuhl's lorikeet in 2007. The latter has since become well-established, with a population of over 400 individuals. The common myna was introduced in 1915 in an effort to control the Coconut Stick-insect and has since become a major pest. In 2009 an eradication campaign was launched, involving trapping, poisoning and shooting. The bird was eradicated from the island in 2014, leading to an outbreak of stick insects in 2016. The island has been designated an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

References

External links

Atiu Island's website

Information and pictures

Island map

Seacology Seacology is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization headquartered in Berkeley, California, that works to preserve island ecosystems and cultures around the world. Founded in 1991, it began with the work of ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox, ...

{{Authority control Islands of the Cook Islands Important Bird Areas of the Cook Islands