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Ariki

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Anariki(New Zealand,Cook Islands),ꞌariki(Easter Island),aliki(Tokelau,Tuvalu),ali‘i(Samoa,[1]Hawai‘i),ari'i(Society Islands,Tahiti),Rotuma)aikiorhakaiki(Marquesas Islands),akariki(Gambier Islands) or‘eiki(Tonga) is or was[2]a member of a hereditary chiefly or noble rank inPolynesia.[3][4]

New Zealand[edit]

See also:Māori King Movement

Political leadership or governance in Māori society has traditionally come from two overlapping groups of people – thearikiand therangatira.Thearikiare the "persons of the highest rank and seniority".[5]As the "high-ranking first-born children of first-born children",arikiinherit their positions from their forebears.[6]In particular, their "supreme rank [comes] from the conjunction of a number of senior descent lines from founding ancestors, and ultimately from the gods".[7]Theirmanacombines hereditary, personal andtheocraticelements.[8] In Māori culturearikiwere men or women. A modern example of a woman in this leadership role isTe Atairangikaahu(r. 1966–2006) the paramount head orMāori Queenof theWaikato federation of tribes.[9][10]

Arikido not operate in simplehierarchical organisations;despite what "government officers were inclined to believe",arikihave never been "the apex of a structured hierarchy of institutionalised tribal authority".[11]Many positions overlap, witharikiholding multiple roles, including "head of aniwi,therangatiraof ahapūand thekaumātuaof awhānau".[12]Similarly, in times past, "atohungamay have also been the head of a whanau but quite often was also a rangatira and an ariki ".[10][12]

TheMāori King Movementis headed by the Māori King or Queen, who bears the titleTe Arikinui,literally "The Great (leading) Ariki".

Cook Islands[edit]

Makea Karika Ariki (sitting) and nobles of the Makea Karika tribe, Rarotonga
Arikis at the opening of the 39th Annual General Meeting of theHouse of Ariki(Cook Islands Herald)
See also:History of the Cook Islands

Each island in theCook Islandswas ruled by a number ofariki(high chiefs).Rarotongahad about five or six, and most of the other islands had about three. Eacharikiruled aniviorngati(tribe). Beneath eacharikiin the social hierarchy were a number ofmataiapoandrangatira(minor chiefs) of noble rank.[13]Ariki are either men or women. In 2009 a group of ariki challenged the legitimacy of the government.[14][15]

A chief's control over their people was related to theirmana(power), which came not only from their birth but also from their achievements and status, and could be gained or lost. Anarikiwho lost popularity with their people could also be seen as having a decline inmana,which could have led to their loss of control.[13]

Having a control oftapu(sacred matters) was a powerful weapon for theariki.For supernatural reasons, certain activities were forbidden and since thearikihad control over what was or was not forbidden, this gave their considerable power. It was the people's strong belief in an ariki'smanaand control over all thingstaputhat allowed them to take control of their people without the need for physical enforcement.[13]

Theariki,mataiapoandrangatiratitles 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.[13]

TheHouse of Ariki('Are Ariki) is aparliamentarybody in the Cook Islands. It was established in 1967 shortly afterself-governmentand is composed of the Cook Islands high chiefs. ScholarsRon CrocombeandJon Tikivanotau Jonassenhave argued that it was created to marginalize theariki,giving them dignity but very limited power.[16]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Sometimes pronounced aliki.
  2. ^The title has disappeared or has no official or institutional status in some islands (e.g. French Polynesia, Hawai‘i, Easter Island).
  3. ^Hale, Horatio (1846).United States Exploring Expedition During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842: Ethnography and Philology.Vol. 6. Philadelphia: Printed C. Sherman. p. 294.
  4. ^Fornander, Abraham;Stokes, John F. G. (1885).An Account of the Polynesian Race.Vol. 3. London: Trübner & Company. pp. 55–56.
  5. ^Ballara, A.(1998).Iwi: The dynamics of Māori tribal organisation from c.1769 to c.1945.Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. (p. 58).
  6. ^Ballara, A.(1998).Iwi: The dynamics of Māori tribal organisation from c.1769 to c.1945.Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. (p. 142).
  7. ^Ballara, A.(1998).Iwi: The dynamics of Māori tribal organisation from c.1769 to c.1945.Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. (p. 205).
  8. ^ Edward, Tregear(1904). "Chiefs and Priests".The Maori Race.Wanganui: A.D. Willis. p. 150.Retrieved5 June2024.As a rule [an ariki] was supposed to receive his spiritual appointment from heaven at birth, but his leadership and direction of the people [...] had to be confirmed by the popular opinion of his people. There was thus in the system a curious blending of theocratic and democratic ideas. The Ariki had to possess certain moral and mental attributes in addition to his 'divine right;' he had to be brave, intelligent and generous.
  9. ^Mead, S. M. (1997).Landmarks, bridges and visions: Essays.Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. (p. 200).
  10. ^abSee also:Ballara, A.(1998).Iwi: The dynamics of Māori tribal organisation from c.1769 to c.1945.Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press.
  11. ^Ballara, A.(1998).Iwi: The dynamics of Māori tribal organisation from c.1769 to c.1945.Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. (p. 264).
  12. ^abMead, S. M. (1997).Landmarks, bridges and visions: Essays.Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. (p. 197).
  13. ^abcdHunt, Errol (2003).Rarotonga & the Cook Islands.Lonely Planet. p. 10.ISBN978-1-74059-083-9.
  14. ^JONASSEN, JON TIKIVANOTAU M (2010). "Cook Islands News".Contemporary Pacific.22(1): 163–168.doi:10.1353/cp.2010.0045.S2CID258057928.
  15. ^Cobley, Joanna (2018)."REMEMBERING MAKEA TAKAU ARIKI, THE QUEEN OF RAROTONGA, 1871–1911"(PDF).The New Zealand Journal of Public History.NZJPH6.1.
  16. ^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

External links[edit]

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