A Tapere or Sub-District is a low level of traditional land subdivision on five of the

Southern Cook Islands The Cook Islands can be divided into two groups: the Southern Cook Islands and the Northern Cook Islands. The country is located in Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand. From March to Decembe ...

(

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 ...

Mangaia Mangaia (traditionally known as A'ua'u Enua, which means ''terraced'') is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga. It is a roughly circular island, with an area of , from Rarotonga. Originally heavily popul ...

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 ...

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 ...

, 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 ...

), comparable to the ahupua'a of the main

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

or to the kousapw of

Pohnpei Pohnpei "upon (''pohn'') a stone altar (''pei'')" (formerly known as Ponape or Ascension, Proto-Chuukic-Pohnpeic: ''*Fawo ni pei)'' is an island of the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group. It belongs to Pohnpei ...

. Among the populated raised islands, only

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 ...

is not subdivided into tapere. The remaining Southern Cook Islands, Manuae,

Palmerston Palmerston may refer to: People * Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer * Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston ** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman an ...

and

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 ...

are

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

s and/or uninhabited, and therefore not subject to this type of traditional subdivision. The atolls of the

Northern Cook Islands The Northern Cook Islands is one of the two chains of atolls which make up the Cook Islands. Lying in a horizontal band between 9° and 13°30' south of the Equator, the chain consists of the atolls of Manihiki, Nassau, Penrhyn, Pukapuka, Rakaha ...

are subdivided into ''motu'' (populated atoll islets), instead. A tapere is a subdivision of a district (the major island subdivision) or ''puna'', which is headed by a district chiefs or ''Pava'' (in the case of the Island of Mangaia). A tapere is normally headed by a ''

mataiapo A ''mataiapo'' or ''mata'iapo'' is a hereditary chiefly title in the Cook Islands. The head of a sub-tribe, subject to the ''ariki'' (paramount chief) as far as the whole tribe is concerned and owing him traditional allegiance, but otherwise largely ...

'' (a chief of a major lineage) or ''

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 mem ...

'' (a High Chief, the titular head of a tribe). It is occupied by the ''matakeinanga'', the local group composed of the residential core of a major lineage, plus affines and other permissive members. Most of the tapere lands are subdivided among the minor lineages, each of which was headed by a ''

rangatira In Māori culture, () are tribal chiefs, the hereditary Māori leaders of a hapū. Ideally, rangatira were people of great practical wisdom who held authority () on behalf of the tribe and maintained boundaries between a tribe's land and that ...

'' or ''

kōmono The ''kōmono'' is a title in the Cook Islands for a spokesman, representative or deputy for a '' mata'iapo'' (a chiefly title and the head of a family) under the ''ariki An ariki (New Zealand, Cook Islands), ꞌariki (Easter Island), aliki (Toke ...

'', or by the mataiapo himself. Below that level, there is the ''uanga'', the extended family, the residential core of which occupied a household. Historically, taperes were almost always wedge-shaped - the boundaries beginning at defined points on the outer reef and running inland to enclose an ever narrowing strip of land until converging at a point in or near the center of the island. By this type of delineation, any one tapere included every category of soil type and land surface of the island, from the typically mountainous interior, where forest products were collected, through fertile valleys where the major food crops were grown, across the rocky coastal strip of elevated fossil coral (makatea), out to the lagoon and fringing reef.

Overview of Islands subdivided in Tapere

Aitutakitapere.png, Aitutaki Atiumap.png, Atiu Mangaia english version.png, Mangaia (only districts) Karte Mauke.svg, Mauke
(German Map) Rarotaperedistrict.png, Rarotonga

List of Tapere

Aitutaki

is subdivided into eight districts with 19 tapere according to the constitution.Constitution Amendment (No 11) Act 1982
/ref> The 16 minor islands, 12 of them motu, are outside of this subdivision scheme: *Amuri District **Amuri Tapere **Punganui Tapere *Anaunga District **Anaunga Tapere **Punoa Tapere *Arutanga District **Arutanga Tapere **Reureu Tapere **Nukunoni Tapere **Ureia Tapere *Avanui District **Avanui Tapere **Vaipeka Tapere *Taravao District **Taravao Tapere **Vaiau Tapere **Vaiorea Tapere *Tautu District **Mataotane Tapere **Tautu Tapere *Vaipae District **Oako Tapere **Vaipae Tapere *Vaitupa District **Taakarere Tapere **Vaitupa Tapere

Atiu

In the case of

, the six villages correspond to the six tapere: *Areora Village (Tapere) *Mapumai Village (Tapere) *Ngatiarua Village (Tapere) *Teenui Village (Tapere) *Tengatangi Village (Tapere)

Mangaia

is subdivided into six Districts (puna), which are further subdivided into 38 tapere. In the Cook Islands Constitution however, the six districts are called tapere. *Tava'enga District **Tapere of Ta'iti **Tapere of Te-rupe **Tapere of Maro **Tapere of Au-ruia **Tapere of Te-mati-o-Pa'eru **Tapere of Te-pueu *Karanga District **Tapere of Teia-roa **Tapere of Teia-poto **Tapere of Teia-pini **Tapere of Kaau-i-miri **Tapere of Kaau-i-uta *Ivirua District **Tapere of Avarari **Tapere of Te-i'i-maru **Tapere of Te-uturei **Tapere of Te-ara-nui-o-Toi **Tapere of Te-korokoro **Tapere of Te-pauru-o-Rongo *Tamaru
Tapere Map of Tamarua District
**Tapere of Te-vai-taeta-i-uta **Tapere of Pukuotoi **Tapere of Vaitangi (Pukuotoi) **Tapere of Te-vai-taeta-i-tai **Tapere of Angauru District **Tapere of Te-vai-kao **Tapere of Akaea District **Tapere of Maru-kore **Tapere of Poutoa-i-miri **Tapere of Poutoa-i-uta *Veitatei District **Tapere of Te-noki **Tapere of Te-tuaroa (Te-tukono) **Tapere of Te-tuapoto **Tapere of Te-tarapiki **Tapere of Kaikatu **Tapere of Angarinoi *Kei'a District **Tapere of Akaoro **Tapere of Tapuata **Tapere of Tongamarama **Tapere of Te-inati **Tapere of Rupetau-i-miri **Tapere of Rupetau-i-uta

Mauke

is subdivided into four traditional districts.

Vaimutu Vaimutu is one of four traditional districts on the island of Mauke in the Cook islands. It is in the east of the island, between the districts of Ngatiarua and Areora Areora is one of four traditional districts on the island of Mauke in the Cook ...

and Makatea are not further subdivided and correspond to one tapere each. Ngatiarua and Areora districts are subdivided into 6 and 3 tapere, respectively, totalling 11 tapere for the whole island: *Ngatiarua District (north) **Tapere of Te Tukunga **Tapere of Mokoero **Tapere of Puneua **Tapere of Ikurua **Tapere of Arakiropu **Tapere of Araki *Vaimutu District (east, corresponds to 1 tapere) **Tapere of Vaimutu *Areora District (south) **Tapere of Tukume **Tapere of Arao **Tapere of Anua *Makatea District (west, corresponds to 1 tapere) **Tapere of Makatea

Rarotonga

is subdivided into five Survey Land Districts (not to be confused with the three traditional ''Vaka'' districts that served as local government units with Councils and Mayors from 1997 to February 2008), with a total of 54 Tapere (or sub-districts), more than any other Island of the Cooks Islands: *Arorangi District **Tapere of Akaoa **Tapere of Arerenga **Tapere of Aroa **Tapere of Inave **Tapere of Kavera **Tapere of Pokoinu-I-Raro **Tapere of Rutaki **Tapere of Tokerau **Tapere of Vaiakura * Avarua District (capital of the Cook Islands) **Tapere of Areanu **Tapere of Atupa **Tapere of Avatiu **Tapere of Kaikaveka **Tapere of Kiikii **Tapere of Ngatipa **Tapere of Nikao (seat of Cook Islands parliament) **Tapere of Pokoinu **Tapere of Puapuautu **Tapere of Pue **Tapere of Punamaia **Tapere of Ruatonga **Tapere of Takuvaine (

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

Avarua, seat of Cook Islands government, with Avarua fishing harbour) **Tapere of Tapae-I-Uta **Tapere of Tauae **Tapere of Tupapa **Tapere of Tutakimoa **Tapere of Vaikai *Matavera District **Tapere of Titama **Tapere of Tupapa (not to be confused with a Tapere of the same name in Avarua District) **Tapere of Matavera **Tapere of Pouara **Tapere of Vaenga *Ngatangiia District **Tapere of Turangi **Tapere of Ngati Au **Tapere of Ngati Maoate **Tapere of Ngati Vaikai **Tapere of Avana **Tapere of Aroko **Tapere of Nukupure (Muri) **Tapere of Areiti **Tapere of Aremango **Tapere of Vaii **Tapere of Maii *Takitumu District (Titikaveka) **Tapere of Tikioki **Tapere of Akapuao **Tapere of Te Puna **Tapere of Titikaveka **Tapere of Kauare **Tapere of Arakuo **Tapere of Turoa **Tapere of Totokoitu **Tapere of Avaavaroa **Tapere of Vaimaanga

References

{{Reflist

External links

Cultural Landscapes of the Pacific Islands
Geography of the Cook Islands Polynesian words and phrases