Preparations are well underway on Mangaia for the celebration of the 200-year anniversary of the arrival of Christian missionaries on the island in 1824. By Pamela Steele.

The Bicentennial Celebrations will be held on Mangaia from June 9 to 16, 2024.

Around 1000 people are expected to visit the southern group island from Australia, New Zealand and other countries.

A group from Papua New Guinea will also attend. A month ago, celebrations were held in Poreporena village in Papua New Guinea for the 150-year anniversary of the arrival of the Mangaian missionary Ruatoka Koro on November 26, 1873.

Nearly 100 Mangaians were sent to Papua and New Guinea in the late 1800s as missionaries by the London Missionary Society.

The New Guinea celebrations were attended by the Mangaian ariki and ariki vaine, Numangatini Ariki Tangitamaiti Tereapii and Numangatini Vaine Tutai O-Rairi Tereapii who unveiled two memorial monuments at the Lakani Toi and Lahara United Churches in New Guinea.

Mangaia has a very active Historical and Cultural Society which has been meeting every Thursday to research and write a significant book on the history of the arrival of the Gospel on the island.

The Society has been able to locate stories and photos from around the world relevant to the arrival of the missionaries on the island, and to weave them into a fascinating story of the 200-year history of Christianity on Mangaia.

The Historical Society members include Taoi Nooroa, Rimamate Joseph, Mama Teina Stringer, Rod Dixon, Joe Marsters, Moe Atingangkau and Vaiora Teremoana from Tamarua Puna.

Mama Teina said the Historical and Cultural Society meetings had been a wonderful way to learn more about the history of her ancestors and the island and the book was a vital way of preserving their knowledge for future generations.

Mangaia once had a population of around 3000 people, now reduced to around 450 people due to out-migration.

Despite the small population, there are around 10 active churches on the island including the original Cook Islands Christian Church, the Assemblies of God, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Latter Day Saints, Apostolic, Catholic and the newer True Vine Church all with their own ministers or deacons.

The Bicentennial Celebrations in June 2024 will involve people from all the churches who have joined together to prepare an island-wide Bicentennial Plan.

Many Mangaians such as Moe Atingangkau from Oneroa village have joined the ariki and aronga mana on fund raising trips to Australia and New Zealand to gather donations for the celebration events.

Moe said that Mangaians abroad had been very generous in giving donations to support the Bicentennial Celebrations, even though many won’t be able to attend.

Taoi Noorea from the Tourism and Community Development Office on Mangaia said that the logistics of catering for such a large group of visitors was a challenge but that Mangaia had already successfully catered for a very large group of visitors from around the world who came to the island to view the total eclipse of the sun on July 10, 2010.

“We have an island-wide committee and every Puna is working hard to prepare their homes, community facilities and churches to make the celebrations a success,” Noorea said.

“The visitors will stay in family homes in Oneroa, Ivirua and Tamarua and also in the large school, church and community buildings in each village.”

While many items will need to be brought across from Rarotonga by ship and barge, the island is aiming to supply most of the vegetables, pigs and goats by planting extra crops and raising extra livestock in the lead up to the celebrations, Noorea said.

Mama Ne Samuela, a member of the Oneroa Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC) vainetini group, said the women had already made 40 new tivaivai over the past year in preparation for the celebrations.

A new memorial stone is also being built at the harbour area to commemorate the arrival of the missionaries.

The Bicentennial Celebrations will run for 10 days with the main events taking place on Saturday morning, June 15 with the closing ceremony to be held in the evening.

More information on the celebrations is available on their Facebook page: Mangaia 200 years Bicentennial Celebration 2024.