Why did priest-poets become less common after Western colonization and the decline of traditional chiefdoms?

In traditional Polynesian society, the priest-poet served as both a magician and an entertainer, functioning under the direct employment of chiefs to fulfill well-defined social and religious roles. These artists were often members of chiefly clans or part of a hereditary caste, and their creative work was deeply tied to the concept of mana—a sacred power or force believed to emanate from supernatural sources.1

The decline of the priest-poet as a formal institution was a direct consequence of the broader societal transformations brought about by Western colonization and the transition to nationhood. As traditional chiefdoms were dismantled or restructured, the specific social and political frameworks that supported these specialized artists vanished. Furthermore, the introduction of Christianity and the influence of missionaries often undermined the traditional religious beliefs and supernatural sanctions that had previously sustained the authority of chiefs and the role of the priest-poet. With the loss of their patrons and the erosion of the traditional religious context, the formal, rigid training of these poets became obsolete, leading to their replacement by "freelance" or "unattached" practitioners who do not claim special mana.123