The Vaka and shark guardian traditions of the Cook Islands

Record summary

Cook Islands oral traditions include ancestral and spiritual relationships with sharks and other ocean beings, often connected with named places, voyaging, clan identity and protective or dangerous encounters. These traditions are suitable for comparison with Polynesian shark guardians elsewhere, but they should be investigated island by island because names and ritual meanings differ. Post-2010 cultural heritage and marine-conservation projects provide possible documentary trails. The lead is not a claim that guardian sharks are supernatural animals in a zoological sense; it concerns culturally organized narratives and relationships with the sea.