A mataiapo or mata'iapo is a hereditary chiefly title in the Cook Islands.
[1] Today they still accord the ariki respect and assist in matters concerning land, traditional ceremonies and so forth.
[2] They are invested by the ariki in huge ceremonies that still take place today.
[3] Precolonial contact, genealogical records clearly list women as hereditary title holders, yet according to European accounts, after the arrival of European missionaries, women were allowed to hold the titles of ariki, mataiapo and rangatira.
[4] The latter is a sub-chief, and in ancient times were usually the brothers or sisters of the ariki.