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Twiggy Tree - I have had some time to use the dictionary you recommended (as well as a second one I bumped into online) and that has been very helpful. Thank you for making that suggestion! I do appreciate it.

Thanks, jaybelnz. FamilySearch is where I located the records which now are causing my confusion! But I will keep looking.

I am trying to determine if the person I located is the person I am in search of. The locations and dates match, but the names do not seem (to my US mind's eye) close enough to be a match. But I am totally ignorant of the intricacies of Maori names.

The person I seek is Taputapu Ariki Tearoa Ngatamamaki, born August 1917 Mauke, Cook Islands. She is no longer living. She was the daughter of Ngatama (usually described as half-caste) and Takea (described as Maori or native).

I have located the birth registers for Taputapu's sisters. The dates of birth match what I was told to expect. I have also located a copy of Taputapu's 1977 death certificate which included her age, but not her date of birth.

All of the evidence indicates that Taputapu was born in 1917 in Mauke, Cook Islands. However, the birth register for that year does not appear to include her birth. What it does say is that on 19 August 1917 Vaine aue-tamariki, the daughter of Tio Maki and Tekea, was born in Mauke, Cook Islands.

My question is: are these in any way the same names? To add to my confusion, an index listing of the birth registry recorded the father of Vaineauetama, born Mauke, Cook Islands on 19 August 1917, was the daughter of Ngatamamaki.

I would appreciate any guidance or suggestions.

Thank you.