The aliʻi were the traditional nobility of the Hawaiian islands . They were part of a hereditary line of rulers, the noho aliʻi .
12-528: Cognates of the word aliʻi have a similar meaning in other Polynesian languages; in Māori it is pronounced " ariki " and in Tahitian ari'i . In ancient Hawaiian society, the aliʻi were hereditary nobles (a social class or caste ). The aliʻi consisted of the higher and lesser chiefs of the various levels on the islands. The noho aliʻi were the ruling chiefs . The aliʻi were believed to be descended from
24-500: A control of tapu (sacred matters) was a powerful weapon for the ariki . For supernatural reasons, certain activities were forbidden and since the ariki had control over what was or was not forbidden, this gave their considerable power. It was the people's strong belief in an ariki's mana and control over all things tapu that allowed them to take control of their people without the need for physical enforcement. The ariki , mataiapo and rangatira titles are passed down through
36-407: A group of ariki challenged the legitimacy of the government. A chief's control over their people was related to their mana (power), which came not only from their birth but also from their achievements and status, and could be gained or lost. An ariki who lost popularity with their people could also be seen as having a decline in mana , which could have led to their loss of control. Having
48-403: A structured hierarchy of institutionalised tribal authority". Many positions overlap, with ariki holding multiple roles, including "head of an iwi , the rangatira of a hapū and the kaumātua of a whānau ". Similarly, in times past, "a tohunga may have also been the head of a whanau but quite often was also a rangatira and an ariki". The Māori King Movement
60-604: Is headed by the Māori King or Queen, who bears the title Te Arikinui , literally "The Great (leading) Ariki". Each island in the Cook Islands was ruled by a number of ariki (high chiefs). Rarotonga had about five or six, and most of the other islands had about three. Each ariki ruled an ivi or ngati (tribe). Beneath each ariki in the social hierarchy were a number of mataiapo and rangatira (minor chiefs) of noble rank. Ariki are either men or women. In 2009
72-578: Is or was a member of a hereditary chiefly or noble rank in Polynesia . Political leadership or governance in Māori society has traditionally come from two overlapping groups of people – the ariki and the rangatira . The ariki are the "persons of the highest rank and seniority". As the "high-ranking first-born children of first-born children", ariki inherit their positions from their forebears. In particular, their "supreme rank [comes] from
84-559: The aliʻi ranks and lines comes from their writings. One kaukaualiʻi line descended from Moana Kāne , son of Keākealanikāne , became secondary aliʻi to the Kamehameha rulers of the kingdom and were responsible for various hana lawelawe (service tasks). Members of this line married into the Kamehamehas, including Charles Kanaʻina and Kekūanaōʻa . Some bore Kāhili , royal standards made of feathers , and were attendants of
96-633: The conjunction of a number of senior descent lines from founding ancestors, and ultimately from the gods". Their mana combines hereditary, personal and theocratic elements. In Māori culture ariki were men or women. A modern example of a woman in this leadership role is Te Atairangikaahu ( r. 1966–2006 ) the paramount head or Māori Queen of the Waikato federation of tribes . Ariki do not operate in simple hierarchical organisations ; despite what "government officers were inclined to believe", ariki have never been "the apex of
108-468: The deities. There were eleven classes of aliʻi , of both men and women. These included the kahuna (priestesses and priests, experts, craftsmen, and canoe makers) as part of four professions practiced by the nobility. Each island had its own aliʻi nui, who governed their individual systems. Aliʻi continued to play a role in the governance of the Hawaiian islands until 1893, when Queen Liliʻuokalani
120-480: The family to the present day. Some of the ancient ceremonies and traditions are still being practiced in the Cook Islands. The House of Ariki ( 'Are Ariki ) is a parliamentary body in the Cook Islands. It was established in 1967 shortly after self-government and is composed of the Cook Islands high chiefs. Scholars Ron Crocombe and Jon Tikivanotau Jonassen have argued that it was created to marginalize
132-660: The higher-ranking aliʻi . During the monarchy some of these chiefs were elevated to positions within the primary political bodies of the Hawaiian legislature and the king's Privy Council. All Hawaiian monarchs after Kamehameha III were the children of Kaukaualiʻi fathers who married higher ranking wives. Ariki An ariki (New Zealand, Cook Islands ), ꞌariki ( Easter Island ), aliki ( Tokelau , Tuvalu ), ali‘i ( Samoa , Hawai‘i ), ari'i ( Society Islands , Tahiti ), Rotuma ) aiki or hakaiki ( Marquesas Islands ), akariki ( Gambier Islands ) or ‘eiki ( Tonga )
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#1732779972202144-468: Was overthrown by a coup d'état backed by the United States government. Aliʻi nui were ruling chiefs (in Hawaiian , nui means grand, great, or supreme.). The nui title could be passed on by right of birth. Historians David Malo , Samuel M. Kamakau and Abraham Fornander wrote extensively about the different aliʻi lines and their importance to Hawaiian history. The distinctions between
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