A custom that is still practiced to some extent on some of the northern islands is the "gifting" of newborn children to other relatives in the father's and mother's respective families. Cook Islands Red Cross Director Niki Rattle reports that this custom began as both a bonding and social security practice. "Gifted children" either went to be raised by an older relative (grandmother or great aunt) who then would have an expectation that the child would care for the older person in their senior years. Another gift recipient would be a childless couple (brother or cousin).
As told to Global Volunteers' country manager; a Rarotonga resident named Charley was "gifted" at birth around 1930 to his mother's aunt on Puka-Puka, the island of her family. Charley's father, an American, was away when Charley was born, but upon his return learned that Charley had already been "gifted," and could not be found -- this despite the fact that Puka-Puka is not a large island, so hiding the child required collusion of the local authorities and other Puka-Puka residents!
