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The Cook Islands Research Association's (CIRA) inaugural conference got on the way today with a traditional kake marae or welcome performed at the National Auditorium before the conference proper at the University of the Pacific complex nearby.
CIRA was founded on August 2007 by twenty five interested people with the focus on research about the Cook Islands to be undertaken by Cook Islanders. It has no political, religious or other affiliation.
Association president Angie Tuara says the association encourages local researchers to be more involved and active and have their works published.
In his opening address Minister for Cultural Development Wilkie Rassmussen said that this was indeed "a momentous occassion to be able to hear valuable knowledge pertaining to our past, present and future".
Former Member of Parliament for Penrhyn Island who was also Head of the PM's (Sir Thomas Davis) department and a current Minister of the Uniting Church of Australia, Nihi Vini this morning presented the first lecture about "Tongareva spirituality: Traditional and current".
Vini explained that Penrhyn was the only island in the Cook Group who maintained it's spirituality, despite an attempt by missionaries to destroy its culture in the mid-1800s.
He said there are two 'houses' of knowledge in Penrhyn, the Niua which attend to 'minor things in life' and the other the Are-ote-po which stores the 'secrets of the island'.
The latter was responsible for saving the islands culture.
Other lectures include Voyages of Discovery or Neccesity, Research ing Cook Islands Missionaries to Papua, health issues, Land rights, New Zealand colonial treatment of Rarotonga customary law 1903 - 1914 and others.
The three day confernce ends on Saturday 9 February 2008.
Source: Govmedia
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