Cook Island soldiers who served in the great War 1914 - 1918

Anzac Parade Saturday 25 April 2015, Manurewa Southmall...Me and my husband woke at 5.00am and decided, this is the day we're going to make the effort to attend the Anzac Parade. This is truly an awesome experience and quite moving the support from Manurewa community was amazing, just over seven thousand people attended the parade.
This part of the blog is dedicated to the Cook Island soldiers who were killed and wounded in action First World War 1914 - 1918.

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/cook-islands-roll-honour-boards Cook Islands Cook Islands Armistice Day notice, 1924 From the early 1920s, commemoration of the First World War in the Cook Islands was linked to Armistice Day, 11 November. Messages each year from the Cook Islands Department in Wellington to the Resident Commissioner, Rarotonga, stated: ‘HM the King has expressed wish for two minutes silence November 11, Armistice Day.’

In 1923 the message was extended: ‘His Majesty has expressed a wish that throughout the Empire special services should be held and two minutes silence observed at 11am, 11 November.’ From this date services were held in Rarotonga and the other islands in the Cook group were instructed to observe the two minutes’ silence. Resident Commissioner H.F. Ayson arranged for services to be held in all churches on Rarotonga. In Rarotonga two branches of the Returned Soldiers’ Association were formed, one for returned Cook Islanders and one for returned New Zealand expatriates, many of whom were working for the Administration. The Resident Commissioner invited the two associations to hold a combined church parade and later the Minister for the Cook Islands, Māui Pōmare, wrote to both RSAs in Rarotonga thanking them for combining for the service and urging them to work in harmony with their fellow soldiers.
By 1925 schoolchildren were being included in the commemoration. On 11 November 1925, special services were held in all the churches and at Avarua School the pupils saluted the flag. Short speeches were given by the Resident Commissioner, Makeanui Tinirau Ariki, George Karika DCM and Mr Binsted (the headmaster).

In 1926 the war memorial in Avarua was unveiled by the Governor-General, Sir Charles Fergusson. That year the Armistice Day ceremonies were extended to include a parade of returned servicemen from the London Missionary Society (LMS) church in Avarua to the Soldiers’ Memorial, where a short service was held and wreaths were laid. All branches of the Administration and all shops closed for the day. The war memorial now provided a focus for commemoration services in Rarotonga.

In 1927 possibly the first Anzac Day service was held there, with returned servicemen placing wreaths at the monument and also on soldiers’ graves. Armistice Day continued to be marked in the normal way and it is not certain when 25 April became the more important of the two dates for the Cook Islands community.

Armistice Day, and later Anzac Day, was marked in the outer islands of the Cook group by two minutes’ silence. Resident Commissioner Ayson was keen to have honour boards prepared for each island so the names of those who served would be in view and there would be a focal point for commemoration services. In 1926 a committee of returned soldiers, including George Karika DCM and Pori Ngoroio Makea, was set up to check names and ensure spellings were correct before details were sent to New Zealand for the Public Works Department to make the boards. Honour boards were prepared for Aitutaki, Mangaia, Atiu, Mauke, Penrhyn, Manihiki, Rakahanga and Pukapuka. In March 1929 Ayson reported to Wellington that all had reached their destination and suitable unveiling ceremonies were being arranged, presumably on Anzac Day that year.
On Mangaia the RSA decided to build a war memorial with funds raised for the celebration of George V’s Silver Jubilee in 1935. Plans were drawn up, lists of names prepared, a site chosen and financial details settled. The Mangaia Soldiers’ Memorial was completed in time for Anzac Day 1936.

Acknowledgement to New Zealand History.net.nz, for the information and pictures. This information will be shared to all the Cook Island people, who takes the time to view this blog...especially to all the Mangaia people,who we have little knowledge of our fellow mens, great great grandfathers, great grandfathers who went to War World I.
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/cook-islands-roll-honour-boards
Aere ra, Aere ra e ngatupuna kia moe kotou...Te noo nei matou e maaraara uatu nei ia kotou.

Collection of Mangaia books

www.fashioncraz1.com

The pre-Christian history of Mangaia -- the southernmost of the Cook Islands -- was documented by Sir Peter Buck (Te Rangi Hiroa) in Mangaian Society, in 1934. Missing from the book was the final chapter, which documented changes in Mangaian society following the establishment of a London Missionary Society mission in 1824. That final chapter is published here for the first time. Buck describes changes to the social, economic, religious and political life of the island resulting from the mission. As spiritual power passed from the Mangaian gods to Jehovah, the marae were deserted, the images of the gods destroyed or given up, history and genealogy were modified in Biblical terms, restrictions placed on the sexual lives of young people and an oppressive system of mission laws -- the Blue Laws -- introduced to police behaviours. Dance, drama, music and traditional sports were outlawed or abandoned. But, as Buck points out, none of this was achieved without Mangaian participation, if only as accommodation, adaptation or resistance to change. Mangaia and the Mission provides new insights into the history of relations between the mission and the people of Mangaia, and provides further evidence to question the view that Pacific cultures succumbed passively to mission domination.

Patterns of the Past traces the history and practice of tattooing through the ancient oral traditions of the Cook Island people, as well as from reports of early Western visitors and rich archival material. The book looks at the current practices of contemporary Cook Island tattooists, what the tattoos mean and what techniques and instruments are traditionally used. More than 250 colour and black and white images included.

The book "Polynesian Tattoo Designs - Ocean Legacy" is a collection of 92 ocean themed Polynesian style tattoos with brief description of the meanings for each design along with their outlines, intended mainly for tattoo artists.

Add War and Succession in Mangaia is a political history of an island in the southern Cook Islands, from its social foundations until the advent of Christianity in the 1820s, as described by the 19th century tribal historian Mamae. Mangaian society was dominated by powerful warrior chiefs who warred with one another for political, social and economic dominance over the island's productive lands and its people. The successful contestant became the holder of the mangaia title and reigned supreme until challenged by another warrior chief who believed he had sufficient supporters to bring about a regime change. The stories of these chiefly battles for supreme power form the basis of this work.

  

Mangaia Island random photos

Welcome sign - Mangaia Airport

Beach near the Airport, heading to Oneroa

Ivirua pathway to the beach...

Ivirua pathway to the beach...

Beach near the Airport, heading to Oneroa

 Inland - Ivirua village..

Harbour in Oneroa

Church in Ivirua

Mangaia Airport


Mangaia historical masks 

VAIPO, Kapitirua (Mama Piti Vaipo)

Passed away on Tuesday 24th November 2009. 

Loving wife of the late Vaipo Vaipo Kavana and loving daughter of the late Papa Akaiti Ponga Kavana and Mama Vainerua Ponga. 

Loving mother of the late Mary, the late Julian, Noomaara, Papaiti (Keni), Teina Vaipo-Girard, Paul, Ani Vaipo-Sakaria, Rima and Tamaka. 

Loving sister of Mama Maki Teau, Poitirere Tupekea, Rautiare Spellman, Roiroi Makikiriti, Tangimama and Toko and the late Turiongo, Karangareka, Araturi, Mareta, Ukinga and Mataora. 

Loving sisterinlaw of Kite Ponga. 

http://www.familyarchives.co.nz/ViewNotice.aspx?nid=13178

Stories from the past...My grandmother (Mamapiti Vaipo) is a unique women and great historic storyteller.  I have heard many great stories from the past, this one I must tell or blog otherwise the verbal knowledge of an old wise one will vanish.

Aotearoa (New Zealand) – Anne or Ani Wihongi as known to our family.

Anne Wihongi a farmers daughter, destination of belonging, North of New Zealand around the Hokianga or Kaikohe area.  
Rimataei, our great great great grandfather came to New Zealand in the early 1950 and worked on the Wihongi farmer and so meet and falls in love with Anne Wihongi.  

Anne at this stage is a widow and were forbidden to fall in love.  To cut the story short Anne and Rimataei left New Zealand and settled in Mangaia(Cook Island), married and had beautiful children to name one (Akaiti Ponga) picture above.
Anne Whiongo is of Maori and Pakeha descendant, her love and courage to leave her family in Aotearoa over our great great great father is profoundly a mystery one could never understand.
Anne Whiongi, is a great woman who founded our family existence to this world.  A history that most of our wider families in New Zealand and Australia did not heard about.

Anne Wihongi passed away on the Island of Mangaia with her husband Rimataei, she did not return to Aotearoa New Zealand.  

When she passed, her last words to the whanau were not to look or find where she came from in Aoteroa.  Why? we will not go there, but to respect her wishes.  Ani or Anne is buried on the island of Mangaia, Karanga village.  

In loving memory of Anne Wihongi and Rimataei,

 may you rest in peace?

Akaiti Ponga family history

The Diary of Great Great Grandfather Akaiti Ponga (Kavana of Karanga )

Akaiti Ponga in his young day (on the right)

Akaiti Ponga is 'what I call the Keeper of Information on 

Mangaia Island' he had an old diary which he kept by his 

bedside, little I know this diary will become the future record 

of today's information.  This diary holds a significant value 

to my family history and the family history of Mangaia. 

See link below...

Genealogy book of Akaiti Ponga Mangaia, Cook Islands .... E tuatua teia 
no te kopu tangata o Sadaraka mei tona a1 tupuna ma1 e tae ua mai 1 tcna uki ne1.

www.slideshare.net/PriceHome/mangaia-death-indexbychildrennames

Mangaia death index_by_children_names - SlideShare

History of Mangaia

       

The Mangaians have an unusual legend of their early history. Most Polynesian islands have some sort of legend about a great ancestor arriving on a fantastic canoe, but not the Mangaians. Nobody sailed from anywhere to become Mangaia's first settler. Rangi, Mokoiro and Akatauira, the three sons of the god Rongo, father of Mangaia, simply lifted the island up from the deep, becoming its first settlers and the ancestors of the Nga Ariki tribe.

The traditional name of the island was A'u A'u (literally 'terraced' - named for the 'steps' of the makatea), short for A'u A'u Nui o Rongo ki te Ao Marama (Big Terraced Land of Rongo in the World of Daylight).

The island's current name is comparatively new; it is short for a name bestowed by Tamaeu, an Aitutakian who arrived on Mangaia in 1775. Mangaia means 'Peace' or 'Temporal Power' - the name relates to 42 battles between the island's various groups and the peace that was finally established when one leader eventually achieved mangaia (power) over the whole island.

          

In 1900 the Cook Islands and Niue were annexed by Britain and their inhabitants became British subjects. The following year the islands became New Zealand territory. Though both territories later gained a measure of independence, Cook Islanders and Niueans still enjoy the rights of New Zealand citizens. In a ceremony at Mangaia in the Cook Islands in October 1900, Lord Ranfurly, the governor of New Zealand, read the proclamation of annexation and the Union Jack was raised.

         Traditions and place names from Polynesia

Some name clusters have been translocated without corresponding legends or traditions. For instance, Rarotonga’s Atiu island and Ahuahu (an early name for Mangaia) are repeated in New Zealand’s Atiu and Ahuahu in the Mercury Islands group. 

 http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/tapa-whenua-naming-places/page-3

From Polynesia to New Zealand

Linguistics and archaeology suggest that the Society Islands, or Mangaia in the Cook Islands, may have been the source of the kūmara varieties brought to New Zealand. Hue Hue (bottle gourds) were once believed to have originated in South America. But DNA research in the early …

Part of story: Ngā tupu mai i Hawaiki – plants from Polynesia

The world’s first seafarers

of gourd. Radiocarbon dates for kūmara found on Mangaia in the southern Cook Islands show that Polynesians had reached South America and returned by 1000 AD. Vikings and Polynesians According to Icelandic sagas, Vikings from Greenland found Labrador and briefly …

Part of story: Pacific migrations

Māori and industrial unions

and Māhia Peninsula on the East Coast, and with immigrants from Mangaia in the Cook Islands. Some Māori freezing workers became delegates to local trades councils, particularly the Gisborne Trades Council, where Wai Hamon and Rangi Paenga worked on …

Part of story: Ngā uniana – Māori and the union movement  http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/search/teara?keys=mangaia

Mangaia historical artifact

  Mangaia toki

http://www.internationalstory.gla.ac.uk/collection/?id=127

University of Glasgow - The adze is a tool used for carving or smoothing wood. It exists in cultures across the world and dates back to the Stone Age. Its head, often made of stone, with the sharp working edge is mounted perpendicular to the handle. An adze is also used for ceremonial purposes.

This example from Mangaia, the most southerly of the Cook Islands, has an intricately carved wooden handle, elaborate coir binding and stone blade. It is believed to have taken the form of a god image in Cook Islands Māori culture.

Maker: not known

Materials: wood; stone; coir (coconut fibre)

Dimensions: approx. 755mm

Mangaia Island on google map 

https://www.google.co.nz/maps/@-21.9250478,-157.9179955,11627m/data=!3m1!1e3

Travel to Mangaia 

Place to stay...

Mangaia Villa

http://www.mangaiavillas.com/index.htm

Babes Place

https://rarotongaaccommodation.co/Accommodation/Mangaia-Accommodation

Travel books Cook Island

http://astore.amazon.com/httpastore.amazon.comcookislandminimart06-20

Product Description

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher

Okay, so you can get around on lots of the Pacific islands with just English or French, but pack a little of the local languages and you'll be able to go beyond the 'one umbrella or two?'.

Customer Reviews

Mostly culture, but a good practical guide to the languages as well
By Michael A. Duvernois
Yes, most of this thin book consists of cultural information for the South Pacific islands with just a scattering of common words and phrases in the dialects of each island. But this is just about perfect for the individual traveling from island to island. You're not going to learn the whole language, but you'll get phrases, and the phrases and phrases will be similar from island to island, but not exactly the same. And the locals will often speak a little French or English depending on where you are, and a little bit of the local pidgin. Think of folks on a cruising yacht, or Paul Theroux during his Happy Isles of Oceania writing phase.

A great little book for the island hopper. Pick up something more specific if you want to learn some, for example, Samoan.

Lonely Planet South Pacific is your passport to all the most relevant and up-to-date advice on what to see, what to skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Receive a flower garland as a warm welcome from the locals, swim with humpback whales in Tonga, or visit Easter Island's enigmatic moai; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of South Pacific and begin your journey now!

Customer Reviews

4

It's a great book. I traveled all thru the South Pacific last summer and didn't want to carry a half dozen books. This one really does the trick. Good hotel recommendations and all up the usual high LP standard.

Product Description

With 10 authors hitting the islands everywhere from the Solomons to Pitcairn and Easter Island, Lonely Planet's South Pacific is more comprehensive and more rigorously researched than any other guidebook. See inside for the real story on tropical beaches, island resorts, blue lagoons and friendly Pacific cultures.

www.fashioncraz1.com




Historical photos of Mangaia Island

Loading of canoes, Mangaia, Cook Islands

Date: Date unknown

Ref: 1/2-144855-F

Loading canoes at Mangaia, Cook Islands. Date and photographer unknown.

Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s).

Loading of canoes, Mangaia, Cook Islands. Ref: 1/2-144855-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23120328

Artifacts from Mangaia, Cook Islands

Date: [19-?]

Ref: PA1-o-1239-068

Artifacts, including stone adzes and a peace drum, from the island of Mangaia, Cook Islands, taken, probably in the 1900s, by an unknown photographer. A Maori carving may be seen in the centre foreground.

Inscriptions: Inscribed - Album page - beneath image: Axes and peace drum of Mangaia.

Physical Description: Gelatin silver print 14.7 x 20.4 mounted on album page

Use/Reproduction: []

Access restrictions: Not restricted

Part of: Craig, Elsdon Walter Grant, 1917-1980 :Photographs / Walter Edward Gudgeon - Cook Islands album.

Artifacts from Mangaia, Cook Islands. Craig, Elsdon Walter Grant, 1917-1980 :Photographs. Ref: PA1-o-1239-068. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23046565

Cook Islanders from Mangaia Island, Cook Islands

Date: [190-?]

Ref: PAColl-8066-08-12-2

Cook Islanders from Mangaia Island, circa 190-s. Photograph taken in the Cook Islands by an unidentified photographer.

Quantity: 1 b&w original photographic print(s).

Physical Description: Silver gelatin print, 8.6 x 13.7 cm (Postcard)

Access restrictions: Not restricted

Part of: Craig, Elsdon Walter Grant, 1917-1980 :Photographs / Postcards of Pacific islands and Maori.

Cook Islanders from Mangaia Island, Cook Islands. Craig, Elsdon Walter Grant, 1917-1980 :Photographs. Ref: PAColl-8066-08-12-2. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23018074

Richard John Seddon with King John and Queen, Mangaia, Cook Islands.

Date: 1900 By: Sears, Frederick W, fl 1890s-1900s

Ref: 1/2-C-16083-F

Prime Minister Richard John Seddon with the King John and Queen, Mangaia, Cook Islands. Taken by Frederick Sears in 1900.

Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s).

Sears, Frederick W, fl 1890s-1900s. Richard John Seddon with King John and Queen, Mangaia, Cook Islands. Ref: 1/2-C-16083-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22877794

Group from the Island of Mangaia, Cook Islands, in traditional dress, with gods Vari and Tane Kiao, Cook Islands.

Group from the Island of Mangaia, Cook Islands, in traditional dress, with gods Vari (largest figure), and Tane Kiao (unidentified). Photograph taken in the Cook Islands between 1900 and the 1940s by an unidentified photographer.

Inscriptions: Inscribed - Album page - beneath image: Mangaians in ancient dress with old-time gods Vari, the largest figure, and Tane Kiao.

Quantity: 1 b&w original photographic print(s).

Physical Description: Silver gelatin print, 15 x 19.7 cm, on album page.

Group from the Island of Mangaia, Cook Islands, in traditional dress, with gods Vari and Tane Kiao, Cook Islands. AFCM :Six albums containing newspaper and magazine clippings, and some original photographs. Ref: PA1-f-126-06-1. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23064128