Research Library / Journal of the Polynesian Society

The Journal of the Polynesian Society: the Rarotongan articles

The articles on Rarotonga and the Southern Cook Islands that the series rests on, from the Society’s first volume of 1892. Those published before 1929 are out of copyright and are given here whole, in Māori and English where the Journal printed both; the later articles are cited, with their argument summarised, and linked. The whole run of the Journal is at JSTOR and, for the early volumes, at the Society’s own site. Every chapter of every volume that quotes an article points to it here, not to a copy. Page begun 25 October 2026.

The articles, by date and volume

1. Nicholas, H. (trans.) and Smith, S. Percy (ed.), Genealogies and historical notes from Rarotonga, Part I: the Genealogy of Pa, chieftainess of Tākitumu, (1892) 1 JPS 20–29 — whole
2. Nicholas and Smith, Part II: the Royal Genealogy from Avaiki downwards (the Makea genealogy), (1892) 1 JPS 65–75 — whole
3. Te-aia, Genealogies and historical notes from Rarotonga, Part III, (1893) 2 JPS 271–279 — whole
4. Te Aia Te Pou, Te Ara nui o Toi, Notes and Queries, (1894) 3 JPS 110 — to be added
5. Stair, J. B., Flotsam and jetsam from the great ocean, (1895) 4 JPS 99–131 — to be added
6. Manuiri (trans. A. H. Browne), The story of the visit of Tonga-iti to Rarotonga, (1896) 5 JPS 142–144 — to be added
7. Kiva and Putua-ariki (trans. A. H. Browne), An account of some early ancestors of Rarotonga, (1897) 6 JPS 1–10 — whole
8. Fraser, J., The origin of the Rarotongans, (1897) 6 JPS 72–73 — to be added
9. Smith, S. Percy, Hawaiki: the whence of the Māori, (1898) 7 JPS 137–177, 185–223; (1899) 8 JPS 1–48 — to be added
10. Te Ariki-tara-are (trans. S. Percy Smith), Traditions of Rarotonga, (1899) 8 JPS 61–88, 171–178 — to be added
11. Ella, S., The war of Tonga and Samoa and origin of the name Malietoa, (1899) 8 JPS 231–234 — whole
12. Gudgeon, W. E., The whence of the Māori, (1903) 12 JPS 51–61, 120–130, 166–179 — to be added
13. Tama, Iseraela, and Large, J. T., Te autara ia Iro, (1903) 12 JPS 133–146 — to be added
14. Smith, S. Percy, Arai-te-tonga, the ancient marae at Rarotonga, (1903) 12 JPS 218–220 — to be added
15. Savage, Stephen, Note on the origin of names of Rarotongan ariki, (1909) 18 JPS 217–218 — to be added
16. More-taunga-o-te-tini (trans. S. Savage), The Rarotongan version of the story of Rata, (1910) 19 JPS 142–168 — to be added
17. Savage, Stephen, The period of Rata, (1910) 19 JPS 195–197 — whole
18. Savage, Stephen, Toarua, Vakapora, Itio, Ta‘unga, Maretu: Extracts from Dr Wyatt Gill’s papers, genealogies and traditions, (1911) 20 JPS 139–143, 155–157, 165–166, 201–223 — to be added
19. E tuatua teia no te taua a te Ruru ma te Aa (Gill’s papers, No. 19), (1912) 21 JPS 39–64 — to be added
20. Te Rei, Tamuera, and Savage, Stephen, The period of Iro-nui-ma-oata and Tangiia-nui-ariki, Part I, (1916) 25 JPS 138–149 — whole
21. Te Rei and Savage, Parts II and III, (1917) 26 JPS 1–18 — whole; (1917) 26 JPS 45–65 — to be added
22. Te Ariki-tara-are, History and traditions of Rarotonga, Parts IV to VII, (1919) 28 JPS 55–78, 134–151, 183–208 — to be added; Parts IV, VI, VII, X, XI and XIX as a PDF, Māori and English
23. Te Ariki-tara-are, Parts VIII to XII, (1920) 29 JPS 1–19, 45–69, 107–127 — to be added
24. Te Ariki-tara-are, Part XIX, (1921) 30 JPS 129–141 — to be added
25. Graham, Geo., Te Ngutu-Au, (1922) 31 JPS 53–56 — to be added
26. Best, Elsdon, The discovery and settlement of Rarotonga by Polynesians, (1927) 36 JPS 122–134 — whole
27. In copyright, cited and linked only: Stokes, J. F. G., An evaluation of early genealogies used for Polynesian history, (1930) 39 JPS 1–42; Fletcher, H. J., A review of the Toi-kai-rakau genealogies, (1930) 39 JPS 315–321; Kelly, L. G., Cook Island origin of the Māori, (1955) 64 JPS 181–196; Sissons, J., The seasonality of power: the Rarotongan legend of Tangiia, (1989) 98 JPS 331–348; Campbell, M., Ritual landscape in late pre-contact Rarotonga, (2002) 111 JPS 147–170.

The transcriptions were made by machine from the Society’s pages; where the Māori shows a scanning error it is left as it stands until checked against the page image. Readers who find one are asked to say so through Have your say.