Rourukeu Kika Matapuku
nee AMARU

Mama Rourukeu’s family mainly hailed from the mighty island of Enuamanu with ancestral lineages to Akatokamanva, Rarotonga, Rimatara and America. 

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Her maternal grandparents the late Papa Amaru Kika and Mama Uamaki Samuela were blessed with eight (8) beautiful children; 3 strong and handsome boys and 5 beautiful girls. 

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Teuvitaata was the fifth child and the third daughter in the family.  Papa Amaru and Mama Uamaki were married in Rarotonga among the Kainuku tribe in Ngatangiia in the late 1800’s. 

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Amaru was an Able seaman in his active days and spent a lot of his time traveling around the Cook Islands and Tahiti on the trader ship ‘Ngamaru’.

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However, two of the Amaru siblings, Tuakere Koronui (the eldest son) and Teuvitaata were raised by Amaru’s eldest brother the late Papa Moeara Kika and his Tahitian wife Mama Areraroa as they did not have children of their own. 

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Papa Moeara and Mama Areraroa lived all their life on Rarotonga and they had three (3) feeding children; Tuakere Koronui, Teuvitaata and Tekope. Hence; one of the reasons Tuakere Koronui and Teuvitaata inherited the surname Moeara and Areraroa in their family. 

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The late Papa Tuakere Koronui returned to Atiu at age 30 and married a native Atiuan lady Ngaupoko-e-Varu and they were blessed with nine (9) children. 

 

Mama Teuvitaata however remained in Rarotonga and cared for their feeding parents and she was blessed with a small family of four (4) children; Mama Rourukeu, the late Tuainetai (m), Anna Marie (f) and Maara-Metua (f) and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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The late Mama Uamaki Samuela had ancestral lineage to Mauke, America, and Rarotonga and she was the second daughter of the late Mama Rutiana John Ellis and Vaianu Samuela of Mauke. 

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Other siblings were; firstborn daughter Tekurapo and the third-born daughter Aketengaru and others unfortunately had no issue (d.s.p.) 
   
The Samuela siblings were born and raised in Mauke. Mama Uamaki’s maternal grandfather John Ellis was an American seaman who jumped ship and married a native Atiuan woman Aketukutea Makiekie. 

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They lived in the village of Teenui and had only one beautiful daughter called Rutiana named after the Lousiana State where John Ellis originated. 

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Aketukutea Makiekie hailed from the Ngati Maunga clan of the Ngati Paruarangi tribe of Atiu.

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The late Mama Rutiana John Ellis married a Maukean husband Vaianu Samuela. They were blessed with four (4) children; Tekurapo (f), Uamaki (f) Tekope (m) and Aketengaru (f). 

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Vaianu Samuela was the second son and third child of Samuela Tepai and Aketukuariki. 

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The late Papa Vaianu Samuela was also known by other names; Nikodemo a Catholic name, Viviauri and Samuela Iti.  

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The late Samuela Tepai held the title Samuela Ariki of Ngati Nurau of Mauke of the Kimiangatau village when Christianity landed on the island of Mauke.

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Samuela Tepai’s wife Aketukuariki alias Tekura-O-Tangaroa was one of the daughters of Taraare Ariki of Arai-Te-Tonga of Rarotonga. 

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This is the Maukean, Rarotongan and American lineage of the family.

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One of the late Papa Amaru Kika’s ancestors ‘Tu-terai’ originated from Rimatara in the Austral islands in French Polynesia.

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The name ‘Amaru’ is the name of the largest village on the Island of Rimatara where the large Amaru extended family originated. 

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However, most of Papa Amaru Kika’s ancestors were native Atiuans and landowners ‘toke-enua’ from the various clans on Atiu namely: Ngati Paerangi, Ngati Aumai, Ngati Tiatoa, Ngati Mokoero, Ngati Koronui and they also had lineage to the three main matakeinanga’s on Atiu; Ngati Teakatauira, Ngati Paruarangi and Ngati Nurau.
 
This is the brief maternal-ancestral genealogy and family history of Mama Rourukeu Matapuku nee Amaru.

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Meitaki Ranuinui xox