Dancers from the Cook Islands perform during a ceremony in the capital, Avarua. The government is considering changing the name of the tiny nation to something more traditional |
The tiny Pacific nation of Cook Islands is considering changing its name to something that reflects its Polynesian culture, rather than honouring the British explorer James Cook.
The
government set up a committee in January to find a new indigenous name for the
grouping of 15 islands, about 3,000 kilometres (1,900 miles) northeast of New
Zealand.
Initially
the idea was to have the indigenous moniker feature alongside the existing Cook
Islands name, in the same way that its larger neighbour is sometimes known as
Aotearoa-New Zealand.
But
committee chairman Danny Mataroa said Monday that once discussions began it
became apparent there was support for dropping the Cook Islands name altogether
in favour of one in the local language, known as Cook Islands Maori.
Map showing the Cook Islands
|
"When
the committee members, which include Cook Islands historians and people with
deep traditional knowledge, met we decided it was time we change the name of
the country," he told AFP.
Mataroa
said the new name should reflect the country's heritage, its people and its
strong Christian belief.
Deputy
Prime Minister Mark Brown backed the move, but said there was still a long way
to go before the nation of 12,000 people changed its name.
"I'm
quite happy to look at a traditional name for our country which more reflects
the true Polynesian nature of our island nation," he told Radio New
Zealand.
It is not
the first time the issue has surfaced, with a 1994 referendum to change the
name to Avaiki Nui resoundingly defeated.
Weightlifter
Sam Pera parades the Cook Islands flag during the opening ceremony
of the 2004
Olympic Games. The tiny Pacific Ocean nation is considering a name
change to
something more traditional
|
The Cook
Islands were a British protectorate from 1888 until 1900, when they came under
New Zealand's jurisdiction.
The Cooks
gained independence in 1965 but maintains close ties to Wellington, which takes
responsibility for the Cooks' external affairs and allows its citizens to live and
work in New Zealand.
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