Hauling and Erection of Heavy Posts

The labour of hauling and erecting the long and massive timbers used as posts in stockades was always a heavy one. In many cases they had to be hauled a considerable distance, owing to there being no suitable timber near at hand. Inasmuch as most forts were situated on hill tops, such great balks often had to be dragged up hill by main force. Their length would be from 15 ft. to 30 ft., and they were dragged by a number of men pulling on ropes attached to the balks. Some post butts dug from the site of an old pa at Te Hurepo, in the Whakatane Valley, showed projections left when the posts were hewn into form, apparently to facilitate the securing of ropes thereto for hauling purposes. The method of hauling was the same as that employed in conveying a newly made canoe from the forest, and the following account of the procedure was contributed by the late Tuta Nihoniho, of the Ngati-Porou tribe of the East Coast district:—

In hauling very heavy posts, three hauling lines were used, one being attached to the forward end of the log, and two to the rear end, one on either side. The ropes were placed round the logs, but were countersunk in grooves so as to avoid unnecessary friction in hauling, and to preserve the rope. These ropes were made of split leaves of Cordyline in a rauru, or five strand plait. The hauling of such weights was done to a time song, as in hauling canoes. The following is a specimen of such chanted hauling songs, known as to, or dragging songs:—

The company of haulers all join in the short responses, which stimulates them to concerted action, as observed when our seamen are hauling on a rope. When hauling such a weight uphill, long ropes were secured to the log, or canoe, then, in some cases, carried up the hill and passed round a tree, or firmly embedded post, then led down again, so that the kai-to, or haulers, pulled down hill, an example of the first primitive form of pulley purchase. Large numbers of men assisted at such tasks. This passing of the rope round the log was certainly not practised in all cases.

In sinking holes for large posts the ko digging implement was utilised for loosening the soil, and the loosened soil was taken out with a form of scoop. In the case of a deep hole a matarau was sometimes used. This was a tool resembling the old birch broom, and made by lashing a number of wooden tines to a straight shaft. This tool was thrust down into the loosened soil with force, so that a quantity of earth was forced between the tines, when the tool was withdrawn and the earth removed. See Fig. 25, p. 82.

This curious implement (the matarau) we meet with again in far off Borneo, where a similar scuppet, as Ling Roth terms it, is used for the same purpose. It appears to be formed of one piece of bamboo, the bottom end of which is split into a number of strips or pieces; these are forced outward at a slight angle and bound or interlaced with some material, probably rattan, to keep them in position. "The scuppet is rammed down with a twisted motion and water poured into the hole, the resultant mud clogs inside, the scuppet is drawn out and the mud removed.' For an illustration of this implement, see Ling Roth's Natives of Sarawak and British North Borneo, vol. 2, p. 21.

An old specimen of a long handled scoop is in the Auckland Museum. This object I have not seen. It is possible that it was utilised as an earth scoop, as noted above, or it may have been used as a kapu for taking fresh water mussels from the beds of lagoons, etc.

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Heavy posts were raised by the natives very much as we perform the same task, save that we have the advantage of pulleys. One side of the hole in which a large post was to be set, was dug in a slanting position, so that the butt of the post would slide in readily when the head thereof was raised. Against the opposite and vertical side of the hole was placed a piece of timber against which the butt of the post came when slid into the hole, and which kept it from gouging out earth from the bank and so partially filling the hole. See Fig. 26, p. 82. The post having been hauled into position, the head thereof was lifted by a number of men and supported by a tokorangi, a primitive horse or trestle composed of two stout poles crossed like the letter X and so lashed together. Then another lift would be given and the post again supported by the tokorangi. Two ropes were then fastened to the top of the post, and on these a number of men hauled in order to raise the post. In the case of a tall post it might be necessary to erect a purchase in the form of a gallows, two tall posts with a crosspiece secured high up, over which the rope would be passed. The following tewha, or working song, is one used at such labour as raising one of these big posts into position; the conducter of the task acting as fugleman:—

This is said to have been the tewha (work song or 'chanty') sung by the offspring of Rangi and Papa when they forced the Sky Parent upwards in order to separate him from the Earth Mother. Then they made the first tokorangi in order to support the sky, the lower points of it resting on the breasts of Papa (Earth Mother), the upper ones pressing against those of Rangi.

The following is another such song employed on such occasions:—

• "Tuturi, pepeke hokai o waewae
• I te rangi e tu nei,
• E tu nei .. e!
• Mo-hikitia, Mo-hapainga

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• Mo-hikitia, Mo-hapainga
• Whakaeke pari
• E tupa whai ake
• Whakaeke maunga
• E tupa whai ake
• E tupa whai ake .. ho .. i .. e."

When a post was placed in position the earth was tightly tamped round it in the hole in order to render it as firm as possible. If a post was needed at some spot where no hole could be sunk, as on a rocky place, then it was kept in position by extra beams lashed on as rails to the posts on either side of it, and by braces. In the illustration given of the Motu-o-Puhi pa (See Fig. 32, p. 98) it is seen that one part of the stockade was evidently not sufficiently stable in the mud of the lake shore, hence the external braces shown in the sketch. A pa on a rocky site, where no great depth of soil obtained, had stockade defences only as a rule, and stays or struts were secured to the posts in order to strengthen the erection, and the stockade was sometimes built leaning inwards somewhat. Struts (hokai) were lashed to the rails and posts.

The tokorangi or trestle referred to above was a contrivance employed, not only in the erection of heavy posts of stockades and large houses, but also in lifting the ridge poles of smaller houses into position. In the latter task several of them were used. The heavy ridgepole of a large house was lifted by means of other contrivances.