Tepairu, a pure-caste Rarotongan girl, by F

Women in the Cook Islands are women of the Oceanian region who live in or are from 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 ...

, an

island country An island country, island state or an island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically ...

in the

South Pacific Ocean South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

that is in free association with New Zealand.

Dress

Traditional clothing for dancing include wearing of flowers in the hair of women (men also wear flowers in their hair), headbands, Collar (clothing), collars, and "short, fringed grass skirts". Cook Islands women are noted for decoration of flowers and often adorn themselves with flowers. Cook Islands women and Tahitian women are the most beautiful i the south pacific the reflection is evident in its success in international pageants and modelling success also cook islands women are trailblazers for fashion with imitation being incorporated by fijian designers.

Social status and roles

In general, women do domestic chores but they also often work outside the confines of the household. By tradition, respect is accorded to women due to their roles as "wives and mothers". As figures of the household, women of the Cook Islands oversee and manage the land, crops, and the financial resources of the family unit. In relation to church and village responsibilities, Cook Islander women serve as "primary administrators" of religious and community affairs.

Violence

In Cook Islander society, any person who commits domestic violence against women receives severe forms of punishment.

Burial customs

By adhering to culture, women in the Cook Islands are buried inside Burial vault (tomb), burial vaults located in front of the yards of houses, particularly the woman who is known to be the builder of the said home. The coffins of women are traditionally sealed in the burial vaults as a form of respect; in Cook Islander culture, it is "considered disrespectful to cover [the bodies of women] in dirt after death.

Arts and crafts

Cook island women are known to weave the ''tivaevae'', a form of Textile arts, textile art to adorn cushion covers and bedspreads. Women also weave other arts and crafts products such as ''pandanus'' mats, purses, fans, and baskets. Women also practice the making of flower art in the form of creating necklaces known as the ''ei'' and tiaras known as the ''ei katu''. Women in the Cook Islands are also popular for specializing in creating jewelry using Tahitian pearl, black pearls.

Politics

Women in Rarotonga, the most populous 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 ...

, won the right to vote in 1893, shortly after New Zealand.Markoff, John, 'Margins, Centers, and Democracy: The Paradigmatic History of Women's Suffrage' ''Signs the Journal of Women in Culture and Society'', 2003; 29 (1)

References

External links

{{Authority control Women in the Cook Islands, Cook Island women, Women in Oceania People from Rarotonga Women by country, Cook Islands