Manihiki
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Central-Southern Pacific Ocean |
Coordinates | 10°24′S 161°00′W / 10.400°S 161.000°W |
Archipelago | Cook Islands |
Total islands | 43 |
Major islands | Tauhunu, Tukao |
Area | 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi) |
Administration | |
Largest settlement | Tauhunu |
Demographics | |
Population | 212 |
Ethnic groups | Nu-matua, Tia-ngaro-tonga |
Manihiki is an atoll in the northern group of the Cook Islands known informally as the "Island of Pearls". It is located in the Northern Cook Island chain, approximately 1,299 kilometres (807 mi) north of the capital island of Rarotonga, making it one of the most remote inhabitations in the Pacific Ocean. Its name has two possible meanings: It is believed that the original name of the island was Manuhiki, inspired by the aboriginal discoverers, Manu coming from the word Rua Manu (a kind of canoe) and Hiki meaning ashore, so the literal translation would be canoe carried ashore. The second interpretation is that the original discoverers were from Manihi, an island in Tuamotus, so the name of the island would mean Little Manihi.
Geography
Manihiki is a roughly triangular-shaped
The major islands of the atoll (listed starting clockwise from the northernmost point of the atoll) are:[1]
History
Manihiki was originally used as a food supply by the inhabitants of nearby Rakahanga. Every few years the entire community would make the dangerous inter-atoll crossing, allowing the vacated atoll to restore.[4] While they lived together in a single village on Rakahanga, when on Manihiki, the tribal groupings lived on separate motus under their ariki in separate villages.
It is believed that Pedro Fernandes de Queirós first sighted the island in 1606 and called it Gente Hermosa (Beautiful People).[5] However, on 13 October 1822, when it was sighted by the U.S. ship Good Hope it was named Humphrey Island by Captain Patrickson.[6] In 1828 the whaleship Ganges spotted the island and named it Great Ganges Island, as other whaleships named it Liderous, Gland, Sarah Scott and Pescado. Despite repeated renaming by explorers, the island now retains its aboriginal name.
In 1889, a portion of the population opposed missionaries and made an agreement with French colonial authorities stationed in Tahiti to annex the island. In response a ship was sent, but the missionaries on Manihiki hoisted the British flag, causing the ship to withdraw without sending a landing party.
The island was claimed by the United States under the
In August 1963, a small boat, Tearoha, set sail from Manihiki to Rakahanga for food. On leaving Rakahanga on 15 August 1963, the boat was blown off course in a storm, and eventually came to land again on 17 October 1963, at Erromango in Vanuatu. Four of the seven men on board survived to arrive at Erromango, but one of them died soon after. Teehu Makimare, of Tauhunu village, was later awarded the gold medal of the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand for his leadership and courage in this epic unintended voyage. The story has been told in Barry Wynne's book, The Man Who Refused to Die. The Original Chief (Ariki) is known to be the Whakaheo Ariki. It is believed that the Whaingaitu Ariki title were the family of which were prayer warriors of the Whakaheo. In later years, families have been fighting for positions and titles of the land. It is believed that the first born daughters of the Whakaheo were not to succeed to Ariki, this title was given to the first born son. The title of the first born daughter is known as Whakatapairu.
In 1997 Cyclone Martin devastated Manihiki. Almost every building on the island was destroyed by the storm surge, 10 people were killed, and 10 more persons reported missing and were later declared dead by the Cook Islands Coroner.[7][8] 360 people were evacuated to Rarotonga,[9] with most never returning.[10] Martin was the deadliest known tropical cyclone to affect the Cook Islands in over a century, after it caused 19 deaths within the Islands.[11][12]
In February 2009, the mayor of Manihiki, Kora Kora, stated that the
Demographics
Villages
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1849 | 1,200 | — |
1906 | 521 | −56.6% |
1911 | 444 | −14.8% |
1916 | 493 | +11.0% |
1921 | 432 | −12.4% |
1936 | 487 | +12.7% |
1951 | 816 | +67.6% |
1961 | 1,006 | +23.3% |
1966 | 584 | −41.9% |
1976 | 266 | −54.5% |
1986 | 508 | +91.0% |
1996 | 668 | +31.5% |
2001 | 515 | −22.9% |
2006 | 356 | −30.9% |
2011 | 239 | −32.9% |
2016 | 212 | −11.3% |
Source:"Ethnology of Manihiki and Rakahanga". New Zealand Electronic Text Centre. [14] |
There are two villages: the larger village is Tauhunu which is on the Islet of Tauhunu on the western rim of the atoll. The second village, Tukao and also known in the olden days as Te Matafourua, is at the northern tip of Ngake or Te Paeroa motu, which runs along the northern-eastern side of the atoll. The island is politically controlled by the Island Councils and a Mayor elected every three years by the inhabitants.[15]
Tribes
The atoll is inhabited by two Fakaheo tribes, the Matakeinanga and Tukufare. Each tribe has 7 subtribes or groups:
Matakeinanga | Tukufare |
---|---|
Nu-matua |
|
Tia-ngaro-Tonga |
|
The languages spoken on the island are
Economy
The economy of Manihiki is dominated by the cultivation of black pearls and there are pearl farms dotted around the lagoon. Tourism provides a secondary source of income, although facilities are rudimentary. The reef provides excellent swimming and snorkeling among colourful tropical fish and coral, making
Flying time to the island by Air Rarotonga takes about three and a half hours, and there is a flight every 2nd week Thursday from Rarotonga; however, flights are sometimes cancelled due to lack of passengers or lack of fuel at Manihiki.
The Tukao solar farm and Tauhunu solar farm provide 136 kW and 147 kW respectively.[16]
References
- ^ Te Rangi Hiroa (1932). Ethnology of Manihiki and Rakahanga. Honolulu: Bernice P. Bishop Museum. p. 6.
- . Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ Te Rangi Hiroa (1932). Ethnology of Manihiki and Rakahanga. Honolulu: Bernice P. Bishop Museum. pp. 14–17. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ^ Hiroa (1932), p. 4
- ^ "Olohega | Atafu Tokelau Community Group". Matauala Hub. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ^ a b Alphons M.J. Kloosterman (1976). Discoverers of the Cook Islands and the Names they Gave. Cook Islands Library and Museum. pp. 19–20. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ^ Cook Islands Government (20 June 2007). "Coroner confirms Cyclone Martin Victims". Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ Carr, Tara (20 June 2007). "Missing Northern Cooks Islanders declared dead". Pacific Islands Report. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- ^ "Cook Islands Tropical Cyclone Martin Situation Report No . 2". UN DHA. 18 November 1997. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
- ^ "Manihiki remembers Martin". Cook Islands News. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
- ^ De Scally, Fes (2008). "Insights provided by a historical database of tropical cyclones and their impacts in the Cook Islands". Island Climate Update (88). National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research: 6.
- S2CID 198148871.
- ^ "Manihiki in the Cooks faces population loss as economy wanes". RNZ. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ "Cook Islands 2016 Census Main Report" (PDF). Cook Islands Statistical Office. 2018. p. 46. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Pearl Oyster Information Bulletins
- ^ "Cook Islands solar energy projects opened". Scoop. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
External links
- Manihiki, information and pictures Archived 3 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911. .
- New International Encyclopedia. 1905. .