House of Ariki
Encyclopedia
The House of Ariki is a parliamentary body in the Cook Islands
. It is composed of Cook Islands high chiefs (ariki
), appointed by the Queen's Representative
. There are up to twenty four members, representing different islands of the Cooks.
Its function is to:
It may only discuss matters put to it by the democratically elected Parliament, and may only voice suggestions in return.
Albert Henry
, shortly after the country obtained self-government from New Zealand
. Henry stated that the ariki were the Cook Islands' "royal heritage". The House of Ariki was intended to confer additional legitimacy and strength to the newly self-governing nation, and to help it define its national identity. Henry stated:
The incumbent president of the House of Ariki is Tou Travel Ariki
(Mitiaro
). The vice-president is Kainuku Kapiriterangi Ariki (Takitumu).
and Jon Tikivanotau Jonassen:
were attempting thereby to regain some of their traditional prestige or mana
.
Prime Minister Jim Marurai
described the take-over move as "ill-founded and nonsensical". Police commissioner Pat Tasker added that it was "laughable", and that the police did not intend to take it seriously. By 23 June, the situation appeared to have normalised, with members of the House of Ariki accepting to return to their regular duties.
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
. It is composed of Cook Islands high chiefs (ariki
Ariki
An Ariki , ‘Ariki , Aliki , Ali‘i , Ari'i or ‘Eiki is or was a member of a hereditary chiefly or noble rank in Polynesia.-Aotearoa Ariki:Political leadership or governance in Māori society has traditionally come from two...
), appointed by the Queen's Representative
Queen's Representative
The Queen's Representative is the formal title given to the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, as Queen of New Zealand, in the Cook Islands....
. There are up to twenty four members, representing different islands of the Cooks.
Its function is to:
- "consider such matters relative to the welfare of the people of the Cook Islands as may be submitted to it by [ParliamentParliament of the Cook IslandsThe Parliament of the Cook Islands is the legislature of the Cook Islands. Originally established under New Zealand colonial rule, it became the national legislature on independence in 1965....
] for its consideration, and it shall express its opinion and make recommendations thereon to [Parliament]"
It may only discuss matters put to it by the democratically elected Parliament, and may only voice suggestions in return.
Formation
It was established in 1967 by Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the Cook Islands
The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands is the official rsponsible for heading Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's government in the Cook Islands, a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand. The office was established in 1965, when self-government was first granted to the islands...
Albert Henry
Albert Henry
Albert Royle Henry was the first Premier of the Cook Islands. He was forced to resign from that post in a 1978 voting scandal for which he was later convicted of fraud...
, shortly after the country obtained self-government from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Henry stated that the ariki were the Cook Islands' "royal heritage". The House of Ariki was intended to confer additional legitimacy and strength to the newly self-governing nation, and to help it define its national identity. Henry stated:
- "The ariki [and other chiefly ranks] and their tribes are the backbone of all nations in this world. For any nation to allow this backbone to be broken or to disappear would mean that they are relying on a foreign backbone for their survival."
Composition
The members are:- The four ariki of the islands of AitutakiAitutakiAitutaki, also traditionally known as Araura, Ararau and Utataki, is one of the Cook Islands, north of Rarotonga. It has a population of approximately 2,000. Aitutaki is the second most visited island of the Cook Islands. The capital is Arutanga on the west side.-Geography:Aitutaki is an "almost...
and ManuaeManuaeManuae is an uninhabited atoll in the southern group of the Cook Islands, 100 kilometres south-east of Aitutaki. It is administratively part of Aitutaki, but does not belong to any district or tapere of Aitutaki. It is, however, part of Arutanga-Reureu-Nikaupara Constituency.Manuae is a true atoll...
; - The three ariki of the island of AtiuAtiuAtiu, also known as Enuamanu , is an island lying at 187 km to the northeast of Rarotonga, in the Southern Islands group of the Cook Islands Archipelago.-Geography:...
; - The ariki of the island of MangaiaMangaiaMangaia is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga.-Geography:...
; - The ariki of the island of ManihikiManihikiManihiki is an island in the Cook Islands known as the Island of Pearls. It is a triangular atoll north of Rarotonga.- History :Polynesians are believed to have lived on Manihiki since at least 900 or 1000 AD. Kupe was the first to explore Aotea Roa. Kupe came from Manihiki, also known as...
; - The ariki of the island of RakahangaRakahangaRakahanga, part of the Cook Islands in the central-southern Pacific Ocean, is one of the most unspoiled places on earth. The atoll is 1,248 kilometres from the Cook Islands capital, Rarotonga and lies 1,111 kilometres from the equator...
; - The three ariki of the island of MaukeMaukeMauke is a raised atoll island, the eastern most of the Cook Islands.-Geography:...
; - The three ariki of the island of MitiaroMitiaroMitiaro, the fourth island in the Cook Islands group, is of volcanic origin. Standing in water 14,750 feet deep it is four miles across at its widest point.-Geography:...
; - The ariki of the island of PenrhynPenrhyn IslandPenrhyn is the most remote and largest atoll of the 15 Cook Islands in the south Pacific Ocean.-Geography:...
; - The ariki of the islands of PukapukaPukapukaPukapuka is a coral atoll in the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean, with three small islets threaded on a reef that encloses a beautifully clear lagoon. It is the most remote island of the Cook Islands, situated about 1140 kilometres northwest of Rarotonga. It is a triangular atoll with three...
and NassauNassau (Cook Islands)Nassau is an island in the Cook Islands.Located 90 km south of Pukapuka, the small island of Nassau is just 9 metres above sea level, with an oval sandy cay on a coral reef foundation and is surrounded by a narrow reef flat. It is covered with palms, and is the only island of the Northern...
; - The six ariki of the island of RarotongaRarotongaRarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 14,153 , out of the country's total population of 19,569.The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport are on Rarotonga...
;
The incumbent president of the House of Ariki is Tou Travel Ariki
Tou Travel Ariki
Tou Travel Ariki is a Cook Islands high chief from Mitiaro. He is currently president of the House of Ariki.He served as President of the House of Ariki between 2002 and 2006, and again from 2008. He was most recently re-elected in December 2009....
(Mitiaro
Mitiaro
Mitiaro, the fourth island in the Cook Islands group, is of volcanic origin. Standing in water 14,750 feet deep it is four miles across at its widest point.-Geography:...
). The vice-president is Kainuku Kapiriterangi Ariki (Takitumu).
Criticism
According to Ron CrocombeRon Crocombe
Ronald Gordon Crocombe was a Professor of Pacific Studies at the University of the South Pacific.-Biography:Ron Crocombe was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and was raised in Piopio in the King Country, before attending Otahuhu College in Auckland. He later completed a degree from Auckland University...
and Jon Tikivanotau Jonassen:
- "The House of Ariki was created to marginalize the ariki. Most of them had opposed the party that won the election at self-government, so it created and quarantined them in a House with dignity but no power. To marginalize ariki further, that party later created a Koutu Nui of mata'iapoMataiapoA mataiapo or mata'iapo is a hereditary chiefly title in the Cook Islands. The head of a sub-tribe, subject to the ariki as far as the whole tribe is concerned and owing him traditional allegiance, but otherwise largely independent as head of his own family group and owning land in his own...
and rangatiraRangatira (Cook Islands)A rangatira was the title given to a minor chief in the Cook Islands - often someone who was closely related to an ariki or mataiapo, now usually by the younger brothers or sisters; the head of a branch of a rangatira or mataiapo family....
(lesser chiefs) many of whom had supported the party."
June 2008 coup claim
On 13 June 2008, a small majority of members of the House of Ariki attempted a coup, claiming to dissolve the elected government and to take control of the country's leadership. "Basically we are dissolving the leadership, the prime minister and the deputy prime minister and the ministers," chief Makea Vakatini Joseph Ariki explained. The Cook Islands Herald suggested that the arikiAriki
An Ariki , ‘Ariki , Aliki , Ali‘i , Ari'i or ‘Eiki is or was a member of a hereditary chiefly or noble rank in Polynesia.-Aotearoa Ariki:Political leadership or governance in Māori society has traditionally come from two...
were attempting thereby to regain some of their traditional prestige or mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
.
Prime Minister Jim Marurai
Jim Marurai
Jim Marurai is a Cook Islands politician and former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Personal life:...
described the take-over move as "ill-founded and nonsensical". Police commissioner Pat Tasker added that it was "laughable", and that the police did not intend to take it seriously. By 23 June, the situation appeared to have normalised, with members of the House of Ariki accepting to return to their regular duties.
See also
- List of Presidents of the House of Ariki
- House of LordsHouse of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
- Chamber of Peers