Ngamaru Rongotini Ariki (c. 1831 – 31 March 1903) was a sovereign 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 ...
. He was the ''
ariki
An ariki (New Zealand, Cook Islands), ꞌariki (Easter Island), aliki (Tokelau, Tuvalu), ali‘i (Samoa, Hawai‘i), ari'i (Society Islands, Tahiti), aiki or hakaiki (Marquesas Islands), akariki ( Gambier Islands) or ‘eiki (Tonga) is or was a me ...
'' of the ''Ngamaru''
dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
on the island of
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 b ...
, one of the
chiefdom
A chiefdom is a form of hierarchical political organization in non-industrial societies usually based on kinship, and in which formal leadership is monopolized by the legitimate senior members of select families or 'houses'. These elites form a ...
s of ''
Ngaputoru'', which consisted of three adjoining islands —Atiu,
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 ...
, and
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 ...
. In the 1860s he married
Makea Takau, a princess of
Rarotonga. In 1871 Makea Takau became ''ariki'' of Rarotonga and queen regnant of the newly established
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 ...
, as a consequence making Ngamaru
prince consort of the realm of the united Cook Islands.
He was Representative of Atiu, Mitiaro and Mauke in the
Federal Council and also a native
Judge of the Ariki's Court at
Avarua. Ngamaru was a man of strong personal character, and had the happy knack of settling troublesome matters with a jocular remark. He was also a commercial power to his people, being an inter-island trader with a
schooner of his own.
Prince Ngamaru died of
blood poisoning
Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is foll ...
after an injury to his hand, he was 72 years of age. He was buried in Queen Makea's private graveyard at
Para O Tane Palace.
See also
*
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 ...
*
History of the Cook Islands
The Cook Islands are named after Captain James Cook, who visited the islands in 1773 and 1777, although Spanish navigator Alvaro de Mendaña was the first European to reach the islands in 1595. The Cook Islands became aligned to the United Kingd ...
*
House of Ariki
The House of Ariki () is a parliamentary body in the Cook Islands. It is composed of Cook Islands high chiefs (''ariki''), appointed by the King's Representative. While it functions in a similar way to the House of Lords and the Senate of Canada ...
Notes
References
* Grimshaw, Beatrice Ethel.
In the strange South seas'. Hutchinson & Co., 1907
* Gilson, Richard Philip.
The Cook Islands, 1820-1950'. Victoria University of Wellington, 1980;
* Craig, Robert D.
Historical Dictionary of Polynesia'. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. ; p. 154
External links
Te Papa Museum of New Zealand collections(Photograph)
(
NZETC
The New Zealand Electronic Text Collection (NZETC; mi, Te Pūhikotuhi o Aotearoa) is a freely accessible online archive of New Zealand and Pacific Islands texts and heritage materials that are held by the Victoria University of Wellington Library ...
)
Prince Ngamaru's involvement of Takutea land ownershipNews of the Waikare's Excurtion(Papers Past)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ariki, Ngamaru Rongotini
1831 births
People from Atiu
Rarotongan monarchs
Royalty of the Cook Islands
1903 deaths