The Cook Islands are a group of 15 volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean, making up a self-governing island country in free association with New Zealand. Cook Islanders have mixed Polynesian ancestry and rich cultural traditions with deep connections to their land and waters.
Our Ocean and Biocultural Diversity Programmes partner Kōrero o te `Ōrau Inc. works with Cook Islands communities to revive and restore cultural traditions and conserve their natural environment.
Low clouds are rolling down to the coast from the distant hills, but the sea is calm, and the atmosphere is one of excitement. It is the day that the Marumaru Atua is setting sail, with a crew heading to Hawai’i for the Festival of the Pacific Arts.
The Marumaru Atua is a traditional canoe of the Cook Islands. It is more than just a vessel—it represents the ‘vaka’ (voyage) tradition, which includes the knowledge and skills of ocean navigation that play an important part in the rich cultural history of the Cook Islands.
The students of Kōrero o te ‘Ōrau’s ‘Ātui’anga ki te Tango programme have prepared a special send-off for this vaka, with Rennie Tamangaro leading Ivitū, a pe’e (chant) composed by Papa Tepoave Araitia. Their energy stirs a passionate excitement into the air.
“I cannot wait until one day in the near future when someone else says this karakia to me as I get ready for my voyage of a lifetime,” says Rennie, beaming from ear to ear in the short film Kōrero o te `Ōrau Inc. have produced to mark the occasion.
That day might not be far off- in 2021, Kōrero organised an education and advocacy project where students embarked on a two-month vaka voyage to the islands in the northern and southern groups of the Cook Islands. The voyage included visiting eight islands, connecting students with their heritage and allowing them to glimpse into the lives of their ancestors, while also learning how to conduct ecological surveys.