The Taurapa, or Stern-piece

The ornamental stern-piece (rapa and taurapa) of a first-class canoe was an object on which much time and labour were spent, as will be seen by referring to the illustrations. The elaborately carved specimens were highly prized, and it will be seen that there is but page 151little variation in the form of these objects. As the pierced work of the carver much affected the strength of the plank, strength was imparted to it by the curved ribs that form so prominent a feature. In most cases the spaces on either side of these ribs are seen to be occupied by a series of scrolls, between which various minor designs are seen.

Photo, Dominion Museum Collection

The taurapa, or stern-piece of a canoe, is set up on the hull and attached thereto and to the square-cut ends of the top-strakes in the same manner as the figurehead is. In an elaborate canoe feathers enter largely into the ornamentation of the stern-piece. The feather

Sketch by Miss E. Richardson

ornament at the top is termed the puhi ariki, or puhi kai ariki. The two long streamers or tails of feathers are the puhi moana ariki; the former pertains to the gods of the winds, the latter to the sea-gods, page 152who are the guardians of the vessel. The latter often trailed in the water during the passage of the craft. In some cases feathers were attached to the lower part of the taurapa. The term puhi rere is sometimes applied to the streamers. Similar decorations were employed at the Society Isles.

In an account of the "Takitumu" canoe given by Wi Pere to Tuta Nihoniho the following remarks concerning the decoration of the stern-piece occur: "The upper puhi was fixed as a resting-place for the gods of the heavens, and named Puhi-ariki. The puhi at the base of the taurapa, touching the water, was arranged as a clinging-place for the gods of the ocean, and named Puhi-moana-ariki."

The upper feather appendages, as seen on "Te Heke Rangatira" canoe, in the Dominion Museum, are secured to a small upright rod lashed to the upper part of the stern-piece.

The scrolls seen in the carved designs are termed pitau. In some cases the koruru design was employed by carvers of rapa, showing human heads on both sides.

Feathers of the pigeon (kereru) were employed in the adorning of these stern-pieces.

Polack, when at Uawa in 1835, employed a native to carve for him a rapa, or canoe-stern-piece. When finished the carver presented his bill, which consisted of six small pieces of wood tied together with a piece of flax which represented six "heads" of tobacco (less than ½ lb.)—the contract price.

In the illustrations to D' Urville's Voyage appear three stern-pieces ornamented with feathers. On one of these such adornment is limited to a single tuft at the summit of the taurapa and a fringe round its base. In another case a fringe of feathers extends along the top and all the way down the outer edge of the stern-piece to its base. A page 154third stern-piece is depicted as being extremely narrow, of amazing height, and entirely covered with feathers so that no portion of the wood is visible. A few short streamers appear on the latter, but no long ones on any of the three. There is an element of doubt as to whether these adornments are correctly represented. In no case is the join of stern-piece and hull plainly shown.

Early writers speak of these stem-pieces as being in some cases from 12 ft. to 18 ft. in height. I much doubt the former use of such high ones as 3 fathoms.

Another old print (taken from Cook) shows a highly carved stern-piece having a fringe of feathers across the top and right down its frontal or forward edge, as also two long streamers suspended from the rear of its upper part. This is probably a more correct representation of these ornaments. This appears in Hawkesworth's

H. Hamilton, photo

page 155

Sketch by Miss E. Richardson

page 156Voyages (1773. vol. 3). The same plate shows a. prow-piece adorned with feathers along its upper part.

It has been generally held that the designs of Maori wood-carving, as apart from such representations as that of the human form, represent a local development. The occurrence of similar designs elsewhere, however, cause one to ask if many of these peculiar designs have not been introduced, though possibly elaborated here. It is to the western Pacific that we must look for such parallels or

Sketch by Miss E. Richardson

resemblances. A crude form of the double manaia design is seen in Melanesia, while certain decorative designs of Dutch New Guinea closely resemble Maori curvilinear designs.

In fig. 9 of Hornell's Outrigger Canoes of Indonesia we see a form that might well be the prototype of our Maori taurapa. (See also Journal of the Polynesian Society, vol. 32, fig. 13, p. 76.) The resemblance is very striking, even to the sinuate median rib that gives strength to the perforated scroll work. (See fig. 70, p. 155.) In plate VIII, Fig. 14, the above writer shows another striking form, pertaining to canoes of Sulu. This bifid form reappears in an illustration of a Samoan canoe at page 266 of Turner's Nineteen Years in Polynesia (1861).

In Du Clesmeufs Journal (1772) the writer tells us that he measured Maori pirogues that were 70 ft. in length by 8 ft. in width, and made out of a single piece of timber. He states the height of the taurapa as about 12 ft. So far as I am aware, no specimens of these extremely lofty taurapa have been preserved.