General Information:

"Cook Islands," by Robert Kiste. Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Map:
"Where We Are," on Cook Islands Web.

Pictures:
http://www.ck/edpix/ai11ftbg.jpg
http://www.ck/edpix/palaerbg.jpg
http://www.ck/edpix/teautobg.jpg
http://www.southpacificgateway.com/cook/photographs/

Music and Dance Information:
"The Cook Islands: Art and Culture" Brief discussions of music and dance. For a multimedia presentation, click here.
Island Night A description of dance and drumming entertainment offered at hotels.
Favorite Travel Diaries by Jim and Wendy White--The Cook Islands. Toward the end of this tourist narrative is a sample of Cook Island drumming, a picture of dancers, and a descriptive paragraph on the hotel entertainment.

Raro Links Not really a collection of links, but a listing of recording studios, music shopping, entertainment spots, local bands, and dance groups on Rarotonga

NZ Raro Links Again, like Raro Links, but identifies Cook Islands music sources in New Zealand

The Internet Store for Cook Islands Books and Music. Based on Rarotonga, the site only offers one coffee-table book and one CD.

Mundo Etnico Foundation. A Dutch nonprofit organization studying and promoting traditional, contemporary and developing Pacific cultures by means of book and CD publications, workshops, seminars and educational programmes at primary schools. All programmes and publications are the result of field work research trips to the islands by Ad and Lucia Linkels, which altogether lasted about five years. They have published two CDs on music in the Cook Islands: Te Kuki Airani (Pan 2099CD) and Imene Tapu (Pan 7009CD).

Links with music samples:

"Raro Mana: The Power and Magic of Cook Islands Music" A site dedicated to Cook Islands music. Includes song lyrics, MIDI files , a list of music groups. .

The Cook Islands Tourism Site. In addition to General Information, the page on history contains two .wav audio files.
Music of the Cook Islands in Real Audio. A selection of six songs.

Raro Records

Studio Tamure

T & A Onu Studio: Digital Recording Studio for Polynesian music of the Cook Islands. See also http://www.geocities.com/pitabro/Introduction.html

Music and Dance Pictures:
http://www.ck/edpix/c1dancbg.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/mana_productions/
http://www.webstp.com/slides/australia/page2sub/sub6.html

Dance Video:
"Making Tradition in the Cook Islands" by Michael Fischer and Wenonah Lyon, at CSAC Ethnographics Gallery, University of Kent at Canterbury. Contains a video clip of dancing from the island of Mauke.

Local Videos for Sale by Mana Productions

Critique of Websites:
There were many travel websites devoted to visiting the Cook Islands. They highlighted the beauty of the islands, their water recreation, the friendliness of the people, and the black pearl industry the most. I also found a lot of websites advertising wedding and honeymoon packages to the Cook Islands. There is some general information on the web about dance and music, although I did not find anything very specific. All the Cook Island resort websites advertised "Island Nights" where hotel guest are treated to a special dinner and dance and music entertainment.

-- Melissa Wu