Takutea wildlife sanctuary, Cook Islands

Abstract

The Maori language of the Cook Islands is derived from those of Eastern Polynesia, except for Pukapuka which has a Samoa-related language. Despite the Eastern Polynesia origin of plant and animal names, the physical isolation of the individual islands created a fertile ground for the divergence of names. For example, while all communities use the name Tavake for the Red-tailed Tropicbird. the Brown Booby is known specifically as Kena (Penrhyn). Kapu (Penrhyn) and Noa (Pukapuka). and non-specifically as Toroa(Southern Group). In other cases the variation is more subtle, as in the cognates for a common coastal shrub: Nga'u,Ngahu,Ngasu,Ngashu and Ngayu.