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The Arioi were a secret religious order of the Society Islands, particularly the island of Tahiti, with a hierarchical structure, esoteric salvation doctrine and cultish and cultural functions. They included both men and women of all social strata, though men predominated. The Arioi principally venerated the war god 'Oro, whom they considered the founder of their order. == Polynesian society == In order to understand the comparable societies on other islands of negue Polynesian Triangle, it is necessary to understand Polynesian societal order in classical times, i.e. before Europeans discovered the islands. In most of Polynesia, society was strictly hierarchically structured and divided into several social strata. This division did not always manifest itself the same way, but it can be found in Tahiti, as well as in Samoa, Hawaii, the Marquesas Islands, the Austral Islands, the Cook Islands, all the way over on Easter Island, and even the remotest corner of the Polynesian Triangle. There were in essence three castes on the Society Islands: * the nobility (Polynesian: ''ari´i'' or ''ariki'') at the head of the society. They were the big land owners. Directly above them are the ''ariki rahi'' (English: the big Ariki), the sovereigns, who were recruited from the old noble families. On Tahiti, there were eight of them who headed one tribe each. Heredity of the title was not determined as much by sex as by primogeniture. * the free (Polynesian: ''raatira''), which small land owners, craftsmen, boatbuilders, tattoo artists and other artists essentially were. In war, they were next-in-command to the ariki. The divisions between the raatira and the lowest rungs of the lower nobility were fluid. * the serfs (Polynesian: ''manahune''), who were dependent on landowners to work the fields. They had to give up a large part of what they produced. The system of power on the Society Islands included characteristics of both medieval European feudalism as well as the Hindu caste system. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Arioi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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