Niue

Niue is an elevated coral atoll with fringing coral reefs encircling steep limestone cliffs. It lies 2400 km northeast of New Zealand between Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands.

How Niue was created

There were five gods: Fao, Huanaki, Lageiki, Lagiatea, and Talimainuku (Fakahoku). They left their land and discovered a small reef in the ocean – Niue. The gods bailed water off the reef and emptied it into caverns. More and more dry land emerged, until the reef was big enough to live on.

It was one of the gods, Fao, who first brought humans to Niue. Some say that he had two children, Avatele and Malotele. Others believe he went to Fonuagalo and brought back a couple whose names were Avatele and Kavatele.

Niue: Behold the coconut

The Niuean language is most closely related to Tongan. Archaeologists believe the island was first settled about 2000 years ago, probably from Tonga, although place-names and traditions suggest some arrivals from Samoa as well (1).

The name Niue translates as ‘behold the coconut’. It was formerly known as Niue fekai (Savage Island) as a result of an acrimonious meeting in 1774 between English explorer Captain James Cook and local people. It is now popularly called ‘the Rock of Polynesia’.

Missionary Influence

Reverend John Williams of the London Missionary Society (LMS) visited Niue in 1830 and attempted, unsuccessfully, to introduce native teachers from Aitutaki (2). After several further unsuccessful visits, Niuean Peniamina returned to the island in 1846 to begin work after training at the LMS school in Samoa, and was joined in 1849 by Samoan missionary Paulo (3). The first resident European missionary, Reverend William Lawes, arrived in 1861. A year later, Peruvian slave ships descended on the small island and kidnapped 109 people to work in guano mines and on plantations in Peru.

Niue and New Zealand

Between 1888 and 1889, King Fata’aiki and King Togia, fearing annexation by other colonial powers, petitioned Queen Victoria three times for Niue to be declared a British protectorate. The offer was formally accepted in 1900 but was short-lived, and in 1901 the island was placed under New Zealand rule. In May 1900, Premier Richard Seddon and some of his family had visited several Pacific Islands, including Niue, where he met King Togia. His visit was carried out to draw support for the anticipated annexation of Niue and the Cook Islands in 1901.

Although the New Zealand government had grouped Niue with the Cook Islands for the purpose of administration, this was not acceptable to Niueans. A Council of Representation of the 11 villages of the island was established in 1901 and passed Niue’s first draft ordinances. The first Resident Commissioner arrived in 1902 and became President of the Island Council.

In 1974, Niue became politically independent in free association with New Zealand, under the 1974 Niue Constitution Act. According to the 2013 census, the Niuean population was the fourth-largest Pacific Island group in New Zealand, numbering 23,883. There are more Niueans living in New Zealand than on Niue itself.

The Niue Collections at Te Papa 

The earliest documented Niuean object in Te Papa’s collection is a maka or throwing stone, a weapon that was historically used in warfare. This was presented by Reverend John Inglis (1808–91) in 1869, four years after the opening of the Colonial Museum in 1865.

From 1865 until the mid-twentieth century, acquisitions of artefacts from Niue came to the museum as donations. Niue material was not systematically sought until the 1970s, when a scientifically focused expedition to the island resulted in a major collection of natural environment specimens and a few cultural items.

By the 1980s, Niueans themselves were beginning to contribute to the collection, and to their own representation within the museum. In 2018, the Niue collection comprises almost 300 objects. These represent different aspects of Niuean life and culture from more than 150 years ago to the present, from fishing to warfare and dance.

Source: Akeli, Safua, and Shane Pasene. "Exploring ‘the Rock’: Material culture from Niue Island in Te Papa’s Pacific Cultures collection." Tuhinga: Records of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa 22 (2011): 101-124.

References cited
(1) Walter, R. and Anderson, A. (2002). The archaeology of Niue Island, West Polynesia. Bishop Museum Bulletins in Anthropology 10: 119.
(2) Smith, S.P. (1903). Niue-fekai (or Savage) Island and its People. Wellington: Whitcombe & Tombs.
(3) Lange, R. (2006). Island ministers: indigenous leadership in nineteenth century Pacific Islands Christianity. Christchurch: University of Canterbury and Pandanus Books.