Final answer:
The staff god from Rarotonga likely represents a deified ancestor or a god, a common practice among Polynesian cultures, such as the Rapa Nui's creation of moai statues. It could symbolize the creator god Tangaroa in specific cultural contexts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The significance of the staff god from Rarotonga in the Cook Islands can best be captured by understanding the broader context of Polynesian cultures and their religious and totemic symbols.
Although it is not directly addressed in the provided references, the staff god typically represents deified ancestors or gods, possibly reflecting a similar cultural practice to that of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island, who created moai statues to represent their guardian ancestors. In Polynesian culture, these religious artifacts often symbolized the creators or spiritual protectors, and in some cases, could be directly associated with Tangaroa, a major god of the sea and creation in Polynesian mythology.
Therefore, the staff god could represent a connection to the divine, ancestor worship, and possibly the creator god Tangaroa, but without specific cultural context, it is not possible to claim it celebrates paganism or native ways of life as a general fact.