COOK ISLANDS - SOUTH PACIFIC
Cook Islands Culture – Not a Single Culture, but One of Many Facets

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There is no single Cook Islands culture. Each island was home to people that held local customs and traditions. The islands are great distances apart and that led to local customs developing separately. The islands do share common threads of how the ancestors of the current natives arrived. They all have a traditional system of government by chiefs and councils. The similarities and differences in each island make for a rich tapestry of culture that visitors can enjoy at each destination in the island group. A journey begins with what is common.

Cook Islands culture begins with understanding what is common to the islands. Migrants from the Polynesian Islands to the northwest populated the islands at different stages. The first known settlement in the Cook Islands was about 2000 years ago at the atoll of Pukapuka. Continual habitation may not have come until later, however. Over several hundred years, waves of migrations continued from Polynesia. Gradually, all of the islands gained permanent settlements. The settlers brought with them the ancient traditions of their ancestral home. Those traditions and ways of thinking influenced the cultures that developed later.

Until the introduction of Western notions in the 1800’s, the Cook Islands culture reflected the traditional notions of Polynesians. Individuality, so prized in the European cultures, was a foreign concept to the islanders. People were born into a clan. Their allegiance began with that family group. A person’s very identity interwove tightly with this group as well. Everything they did reflected on that family and that guided their individual actions throughout their lives. As the people gained personal recognition, it was not for their own glory, but for their family group. Personal “mana” or prestige comes from an individual’s deeds and actions.

Traditional expressions of Cook Islands culture continue through today. Dance is integral to many islanders. Every island has a unique set of dances passed down to each generation. Music expresses the soul of the people as well. From traditional songs to church hymns, songs ring out all the time. Bands combine modern instruments with traditional stringed instruments made from coconut shells. Traditional carving remains a mainstay of the older arts. It happens with both wood and stone. Hand crafted items continue in the form of hats, mats, and baskets. All of these traditional arts have also begun to develop expressions that are more modern as well. It adds to the already existing rich tapestry.