Rarotongan society: the creation of tradition

Abstract

This work examines aspects of contemporary Rarotongan society selected to illustrate how Rarotongans structure their reality. This is not a study of social change, but it does show how the vestiges of ideologies from the past have been reinterpreted and incorporated into the contemporary society. To demonstrate how the “traditional” ideologies have survived and co-exist with “modern” ideas, institutions of a pre-European origin, such as adoption practices, Māori medicine and the transmission of chiefly titles, are discussed. Rarotongans may view these and other customary practices according to several criteria from which they choose the one which is most appropriate to their purposes on any particular occasion. It is shown that Rarotongans are in the process of creating a cultural tradition which incorporates elements from their traditional past and European influences which are being transformed into something that is perceived as essentially Rarotongan.