Tararo Jane Ariki

Tararo was born in 1910 in Mauke.[1] She became the Tararo ariki of Mauke in 1934,[1] succeeding her mother. She married George Cowan,[1] and the couple had a daughter Hilda who was born in 1937 but died the following year. During the 1930s she formed a dance group consisting of family members and other people from Oiretumu village.[2]

The first indirect elections were held for the Legislative Council in 1947, in which members were elected by island councils. A member of Mauke Island Council, Tararo was elected as the island's representative, becoming the only women in the Legislative Council. She served until the following year, and again in 1951.[3] Following its creation, she became a member of the House of Ariki.[1] She also served on the General Assembly of the Cook Islands Christian Church and worked as an adviser on Maori customs, choreographer and costume designer.[1]

In 1977 she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal and appointed Commissioner of the Cook Islands Judiciary.[1] Construction work began on a palace for her in 1982, but was abandoned due to political disputes within the Tararo group.[4]