We are pleased to convene a one-day research symposium.

Time & Date: 9am - 4:pm Thursday 11 August 2022

Venue: The Crown Beach and Resort and Spa, Arorangi, Rarotonga

Ka ꞌakatinamouꞌia tēia Iriirikapua e ta’i ‘ua rā, ki runga i tā tātou au peu ē tō tātou turanga e noꞌo nei i roto i tā tātou angaanga kimi mārama.  I roto i tēia au mataꞌiti i ꞌāereꞌia mai e tātou, nō te vaerua ꞌoki nō te ꞌakatupuꞌanga ē te ꞌakaoraꞌanga mai i tā tātou peu,  kua maranga mai te turanga nō te koꞌi, tāporoporo ē te ꞌāpiꞌiꞌanga i te au mārama taꞌito i kōnei ē pēra nō vaꞌo mai i te au ꞌAre Kōrero ē pera te au Taꞌunga Kōrero nō runga i te kōrero ꞌakatutu, vairakau, taratarai, rangaranga, tuitui ē te torō, kite nō te ora’anga, teretere moana, tārekareka ē te reo. Kua riro mai te ‘Peu kite karape papa ꞌakamou kōrero i te Ipukarea’ ē ko tētai ꞌakaraꞌanga tēia i te au ūmuūmuꞌanga a te Tauranga Vānanga ē te UNESCO nō te ʻakamatutu i te korero ꞌakatutu ē te Tāꞌokotaꞌiꞌanga Teretere o te Te Puna Marama nō te ꞌakapapa’anga mai i te au tuatua nō te teretere moana, rave mānga ē te vairakau.

Nō te au tangata kimi matatio e angaanga nei kia tau ki te anoano o te Kuki Airani, ka rauka tētai ngai nō rātou i roto i tēia iriirikapua, nō te ākara mamao atu e, ka ꞌakapeꞌea e rauka ei tēia ātuiꞌanga, kia rauka tēia piriꞌanga i rotopu i te kimi matatio’anga ē te peu a te Kuki Airani.

The one-day symposium will focus on the place of tō tātou au pe’u (our traditions) in our research work and  every day lives. Concern for the sustainability and vitality of our traditions has increased in recent years with research activities undertaken to collect, preserve and teach Cook Islands cultural knowledges and practices here and abroad of the Are Korero (Traditional Houses of Knowledge) and Ta’unga Korero (Knowledge holders) Topics cover performing arts, medicine, arts and craft, life skills, voyaging, sports and language. Examples of these efforts include: the Ministry of Cultural Development and UNESCO ‘Peu kite karape papa akamou korero i te Ipukarea’ project focused on performing arts and Te Puna Marama Voyaging Foundations traditional wayfinding project documenting all aspects of voyaging, food preparation and medicines.

For researchers working in the Cook Islands context, this symposium offers space for participants to further contemplate how, and to what extent, the relationship between research and the traditions of the Cook Islands can and should be woven together.