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Makea Takau Ariki (b. 1845 - d. 1911) was a sovereign of the Cook Islands. She was the ariki of the dynasty Makea Nui, one of the three chiefdoms of the tribe Te-au-o-tonga (The mist of the south) on the island of Rarotonga. She succeeded her uncle Makea Abela Ariki in 1871.^[1]

Her reign lasted forty years (1871-1911) during a crucial time in the history of Rarotonga and the Cook Islands. It was under her reign that the Cook Islands became a British protectorate in 1888 before being annexed to New Zealand in 1900.^[2]

Family

Makea Takau was adopted by her uncle, Makea Davida, her birth mother was his sister Makea Te Vaerua, she was the daughter of Makea Pori Ariki. Her father, Makea Davida, was ariki of Te-au-o-tonga from 1839 until 1849 and succeeded by his sister, Te Vaerua and two other brothers, the latest Makea Abela was in office until 1871.^[3]

Marriage

In the 1860's she married Ngamaru Rongotini Ariki, one of the three high chiefs of Atiu.

The war-like Prince Consort, Ngamaru, was less civilized than she; it was his way to threaten people who offended him, by making the "cannibal sign" at them—rapidly drawing his clenched fist across his teeth; the significance being: "I will tear you with my teeth!".^[4]

Prince Ngamaru Rongotini died in 1903.

According to Beatrice Grimshaw, who visited in 1907, shortly after the death of Ngamaru, it seems that it was a happy marriage.

"Their married life was a happy one, in spite of the prince's violent character, and when he died, the widowed queen took all her splendid robes of velvet, silk, and satin gorgeously trimmed with gold, tore them in fragments, and cast them into his grave, so that he might lie soft, as befitted the prince who had been loved so well by such a queen." ^[5]

Reign history

France's armed takeover of Tahiti and the Society Islands in 1843 caused considerable apprehension among the Cook Islands' ariki and led to requests from them to the British for protection in the event of French attack. This nervousness continued for many years and the call for protection was repeated in 1865 in a petition to Governor Grey of New Zealand.

During the 1870s the Cook Islands enjoyed prosperity and peace under the authority of Queen Makea, Makea Takau as she was known. A wily negotiator, she secured good prices for exports and cut the debts which had piled up before she became ariki. By 1882 four of the five ariki of Rarotonga were women. Since the sovereign of the British Empire was Queen Victoria, Makea probably found it easier to achieve a paramount status. In 1888 she formally petitioned the British to set up a Protectorate to head off what she believed to be imminent invasion by the French.^[6]

Para O Tane Palace

In a shady park-like setting, in Avarua, are the Para O Tane Palace and its surrounding area, Taputapuatea marae. The palace is where Makea Takau, signed the treaty accepting the Cook Islands' status as a British protectorate in 1888. Beatrice Grimshaw gives a description of the palace during her visit in 1907.

"We walked through the blazing hot sun of the tropic afternoon, down the palm-shaded main street of Avarua town, to the great grassy enclosure that surrounds the palace of the queen. One enters through a neat white gate; inside are one or two small houses, a number of palms and flowering bushes, and at the far end, a stately two-storeyed building constructed of whitewashed concrete, with big railed-in verandahs, and handsome arched windows. This is Makea's palace, but her visitors do not go there to look for her. In true South Sea Islander fashion, she keeps a house for show and one for use." ^[7]

The palace was reputedly a lively place when Queen Makea was around in the 19th century. The building is now a picturesque ruin, and it is closed to the public, although officially it's still one of the island's main seats of power.

References

^ Cook Islands Heads of State guide2womenleaders.com
^ History of the Cook Islands: The British period www.ck
^ Cook Islands Heads of State guide2womenleaders.com
^ Black Dog Books - Beatrice Grimshaw
^ In the strange South seas, By Beatrice Grimshaw p. 71Google books
^ History of the Cook Islands: The British period www.ck
^ In the strange South seas, By Beatrice Grimshaw p.68 Google books

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Image:Makeatakauariki.jpg|thumb|200px|Makea Takau Ariki (1885)]]
-'''Makea Takau Ariki''' (b. 1845 - d. 1911) was a sovereign of the [[Cook Islands]]. She was the ''[[ariki]]'' of the dynasty ''Makea Nui'', one of the three chiefdoms of the tribe ''Te-au-o-Tonga'' on the island of [[Rarotonga]]. She succeeded her uncle Makea Abela Ariki in 1871.<ref>Cook Islands Heads of State [http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/Cook_Islands_Heads.htm guide2womenleaders.com]</ref>
+'''Makea Takau Ariki''' (b. 1845 - d. 1911) was a sovereign of the [[Cook Islands]]. She was the ''[[ariki]]'' of the dynasty ''Makea Nui'', one of the three chiefdoms of the tribe ''Te-au-o-tonga'' (The mist of the south) on the island of [[Rarotonga]]. She succeeded her uncle Makea Abela Ariki in 1871.<ref>Cook Islands Heads of State [http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/Cook_Islands_Heads.htm guide2womenleaders.com]</ref>
 Her reign lasted forty years (1871-1911) during a crucial time in the history of Rarotonga and the Cook Islands. It was under her reign that the Cook Islands became a [[British protectorate]] in 1888 before being [[annexed]] to New Zealand in 1900.<ref>History of the Cook Islands: The British period [http://www.ck/history.htm#british www.ck]</ref>