An ariki (New Zealand,

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

), ꞌariki ( Easter Island), aliki (

Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, an ...

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), ali‘i (

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

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), ari'i (

Society Islands The Society Islands ( , officially ; ) are an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean that includes the major islands of Tahiti, Mo'orea, Moorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Huahine. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country ...

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

), Rotuma) aiki or hakaiki ( Marquesas Islands), akariki (

Gambier Islands The Gambier Islands ( or ) are an archipelago in French Polynesia, located at the southeast terminus of the Tuamotu archipelago. They cover an area of , and are made up of the Mangareva Islands, a group of high islands remnants of a caldera alo ...

) or ‘eiki (

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

) is or was a member of a hereditary chiefly or noble rank in

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) 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 ...

New Zealand

Political leadership or governance in Māori society has traditionally come from two overlapping groups of people – the and the . The are the "persons of the highest rank and seniority". As the "high-ranking first-born children of first-born children", inherit their positions from their forebears. In particular, their "supreme rank omesfrom the conjunction of a number of senior descent lines from founding ancestors, and ultimately from the gods". Their combines hereditary, personal and theocratic elements. In Māori culture were men or women. A modern example of a woman in this leadership role is Te Atairangikaahu () the paramount head or Māori Queen of the Waikato federation of tribes.See also: Ballara, A. (1998). ''Iwi: The dynamics of Māori tribal organisation from c.1769 to c.1945''. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. do not operate in simple hierarchical organisations; despite what "government officers were inclined to believe", have never been "the apex of a structured hierarchy of institutionalised tribal authority". Many positions overlap, with holding multiple roles, including "head of an , the of a and the of a ". Similarly, in times past, "a

tohunga In the culture of the Māori people, Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, ...

may have also been the head of a whanau but quite often was also a rangatira and an ariki".Mead, S. M. (1997). ''Landmarks, bridges and visions: Essays''. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. (p. 197). The

Māori King Movement 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 Co ...

is headed by the Māori King or Queen, who bears the title , literally "The Great (leading) Ariki".

Cook Islands

Each island in the

was ruled by a number of ''ariki'' (high chiefs).

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 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The Parliament of the Cook Islands, Coo ...

had about five or six, and most of the other islands had about three. Each ''ariki'' ruled an ''ivi'' or ''ngati'' (tribe). Beneath each ''ariki'' in the social hierarchy were a number of '' mataiapo'' and '' rangatira'' (minor chiefs) of noble rank. Ariki are either men or women. In 2009 a group of ariki challenged the legitimacy of the government. A chief's control over their people was related to their '' mana'' (power), which came not only from their birth but also from their achievements and status, and could be gained or lost. An ''ariki'' who lost popularity with their people could also be seen as having a decline in ''mana'', which could have led to their loss of control. Having a control of '' tapu'' (sacred matters) was a powerful weapon for the ''ariki''. For supernatural reasons, certain activities were forbidden and since the ''ariki'' had control over what was or was not forbidden, this gave their considerable power. It was the people's strong belief in an ariki's ''mana'' and control over all things ''tapu'' that allowed them to take control of their people without the need for physical enforcement. The ''ariki'', ''mataiapo'' and ''rangatira'' titles are passed down through the family to the present day. Some of the ancient ceremonies and traditions are still being practiced in the Cook Islands. The House of Ariki ('''Are Ariki'') is a

parliamentary In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

body in the Cook Islands. It was established in 1967 shortly after

self-government Self-governance, self-government, self-sovereignty or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any ...

and is composed of the Cook Islands high chiefs. Scholars Ron Crocombe and Jon Tikivanotau Jonassen have argued that it was created to marginalize the ''ariki'', giving them dignity but very limited power.Ron Crocombe and Jon Tikivanotau Jonassen. "Political culture, representation and the electoral system in the Cook Islands". Political Culture, Representation and Electoral Systems in the Pacific conference paper, Port Vila, Vanuatu, 10–12 July 2004

References

External links

Arai-te-tonga, the ancient marae at Rarotonga
Journal of the Polynesian Society
Tribal organisation - Social rank
Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand {{Nobility by nation Titles Titles of national or ethnic leadership Royal titles Noble titles Polynesian titles Tribal chiefs