THE PACIFIC: Cook Islands

At the WAIS conference, I will speak (relax: briefly!) about "my globalization", telling how fate has brought me into contact with the different areas of the globe. The process was more or less complete when we hired a Tonga couple to take care of us. Before, the Pacific was just a motley collection of mostly small islands, but now WAISers know about Tonga because of the argument among them as to whether New Zealand had greeted the new millennium first.

But Cook Islands? I found them east of the Date Line. Here is what the National Geographic Atlas says about them: "Self-governing in free association with New Zealand, this group of 15 scattered islands was first visited by Captain James Cook in 1773. More than half the population of 18,000 lives on the largest island, Rarotonga, also home of Avarua, the seat of government. Most islanders are Polynesian and are closely related in language and culture to the Maori of New Zealand. Exports include citrus fruits, copra, apparel, black pearls, and mother-of-pearl shells".

It should have added "Imports include Stanford communication professor William Woo, who I suppose is going there to communicate. He is chairing the WAIS conference session on the media. My Tonga couple will appear in Tonga attire, and I suggest that Bill come in in Rarotonga clothes. I would also be grateful if he would bring or sends some postage stamps for WAIS honorary treasurer Fred Hansson, who has a large collection of stamps. Seriously, if Bill is going there for some convention, I hope he will collect opinions about globalization and tell us about it in the session devoted to world reaction to globalization.

Ronald Hilton - 6/17/01