How did the people of the Cook Islands trade in the twelfth century?
In the twelfth century, the Cook Islands was located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, consisting of 15 islands, was a very natural resource rich archipelago, mainly producing coconuts, spices, pearls, timber and other commodities, during this period, trade was one of the main means of survival and development of the Cook Islanders.
In the twelfth century, there were two main ways of trade in the Cook Islands: direct trade and indirect trade.
Direct trade refers to the direct exchange of goods between Cook Islanders and foreign merchants, and this type of trade usually takes place in the bazaars on the islands. Markets are usually set up at specific times and places to sell a variety of goods, and Cook Islanders bring their own goods to the market to sell, as well as buy goods brought by other islands or foreign traders, which is relatively simple but has more risky problems, such as the safety of goods and price uncertainty.
Indirect trade is when Cook Islanders trade with foreign merchants through intermediary merchants. Middlemen were usually traders from other islands or foreign countries who exchanged goods between the Cook Islands and elsewhere. Cook Islanders hand over their goods to middlemen, who in turn ship them elsewhere to sell. This mode of trade is relatively safer as Cook Islanders do not need direct contact with foreign traders, but are usually more expensive due to the presence of intermediaries.
The main trade commodities of the Cook Islands in the twelfth century included coconuts, spices, pearls and timber. Coconuts are one of the main exports of the Cook Islands, coconuts are very versatile, can be used to make food, beverages, fiber, fuel, etc., Cook Islanders sell coconut meat and water to foreign traders, and coconut shells can be used to make ornaments or fuel. Spices were another twelfth-century Cook Islands main export, and there were many types of spices, including nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, etc., which could be used to flavor food or medicine, so there was a market, and Cook Islanders brought their own spices to the market to sell or trade through intermediate merchants. Pearls were another important export commodity of the Cook Islands in the twelfth century, and the waters around the Cook Islands were ideal for cultured oysters, so Cook Islanders could easily catch oysters from the sea, extract them and sell them to foreign traders.
In addition, timber was also one of the important export commodities of the Cook Islands in the twelfth century, the Cook Islands are very rich in wood resources, can be used to make building materials, furniture, boats, etc., Cook Islanders bring their own timber to the market to sell or trade through intermediate merchants.
In the twelfth century, some of the islands in the Cook Islands could be connected by land, so the Cook Islanders could transport their goods to other islands by land for trade, and the Cook Islanders could also bring their own goods to the bazaar to trade, the most famous market in the Cook Islands was the Moaka Bazaar on Laura Island, this bazaar was founded in the twelfth century and was an important trading center of the Cook Islands, where a large number of merchants and traders gathered every year for the exchange and trading of various goods, The market also became a social place for Cook Islanders to interact and trade with each other.
Since the Cook Islands is an archipelago of multiple islands, Cook Islanders can use boats to transport goods from one island to another, as well as their own goods to other countries for sale, and this maritime trade is one of the main ways Cook Islanders trade. In maritime trade, Cook Islanders commonly used a variety of vessels to transport goods, including dhows, brigs and three-masted sailing ships. The use of these ships depends on the volume of goods transported and the destination of trade, it is worth noting that the seafaring technology of the Cook Islanders in the twelfth century was quite developed, they were able to make long voyages without modern technology and navigation tools, and navigate by observing celestial phenomena and sea currents, this navigation technology was not very developed in Europe in the twelfth century, so the maritime trade of the Cook Islanders was very advantageous at that time.
conclusion
In the twelfth century, the Cook Islands mainly traded two main ways: direct trade and indirect trade, trade commodities mainly included coconuts, spices, pearls and timber, etc., and trade channels mainly included land trade and maritime trade, these trade methods, commodities and channels provided the basis for the survival and development of the Cook Islanders.
bibliography
Pacific Islands Monthly
The Cook Islands: Economic Development Since World War II
The Cook Islands: A Study of Political Fragmentation and Economic Change
The Cook Islands: A Historical and Ethnological Study
