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The Material Culture of the Cook Islands (Aitutaki)

Special Houses

Special Houses.

Cooking Houses, hare umu.

The cooking houses at present constituted have usually a rounded end as shown on the left of Fig. 39. The upright wall posts (pou turuturu) are brought round in a curve. From them, radial rafters extend to a cross bar tied to the two end oka. The door is at the opposite end. The thatch is usually of nikau sheets.

On the rounded end, the patiha walls do not extend to the roof, but are high enough to keep out animals and allow the free escape of smoke from the cooking fires. It was at this end that the earth oven or umu was used. A hare umu in Raratonga with an open lean-to part for cooking is shown in Fig. 40.

Within this kitchen, a pahata platform of poles may be constructed upon which to stack taro and other food supplies. There is seldom, however, more than a week's stock kept in reserve.

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Figure 39.Cooking house with round end.

Figure 39.
Cooking house with round end.

Figure 40.Cooking house with square lean-to.

Figure 40.
Cooking house with square lean-to.

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Store Houses.

Store houses for root crops were unnecessary. The taro can be grown for twelve months of the year, whilst both kumara and the breadfruit had three crops in the year. The kumara will not keep for long, and the excess of bread-fruit was dealt with in large ovens for kuru hopiko or pits for mahi, as described later. Thus in Aitutaki, there was no problem in making provision for storing the year's supply of root crops in special buildings or pits.

Though the building of special store houses is denied, some were set apart for storing goods and received names from the goods stored. Thus in the well-known legend of Varo-kura, the hero of the tale made provision in the land of Itikau against the coming of his son by building special houses that are mentioned as hare tokere, hare kahara, hare pahu and hare taonga. The tokere is a small hollowed-out wooden instrument beaten with sticks to give time to the dances. The kahara is a larger instrument of a similar nature, the pahu a drum and taonga includes goods of value.

Houses Of Learning, Hare Vananga.

In addition to the above house, Varo-kura also had a hare vananga built, no doubt for the proper instruction of his son when he arrived. Such houses of learning were used in Aitutaki in pre-European times, but as with the Maori, there was nothing special in the construction. The usual type of house when used for the purpose of instruction in the ancient lore and ritual was named hare vananga from its function.

Assembly House of Entertainment.
Hare Karioi.

There were no large houses for the lodging of guests in former times. In these days, large houses of lime have been built, where meetings can be held. They are known as hare kopu-tangata, family houses, but the old men say they are modern.

There were, however, large houses built for the entertainment of the villagers and of visitors. They were usually built to the order of a high chief to add to his own prestige and for the entertainment of his unmarried daughters. In them dancing, singing and all indoor games and amusement took place, and it was the ambition of all to excel in these entertainments. The houses were called page 37the hare karioi, and each village had one. They corresponded to the Maori, whare tapere.

The most famous hare karioi in Aitutaki stood at the end of the old village of Vaitupa. It was built 14 generations ago for Maraehara. The first architect was his son, who got into difficulties with the roof, and abandoned the work. Rahui, a priest who had been expelled from the village of Vaihau, completed the work. Rahui, from a particular head-dress he wore, was known by the short name of Rahui-pare-kauhatu. This must have been a relief to him, as his full name was Rahui-taua-te-hakanoho-patoa-i-hare-mango.

The site of the house is still marked by the stones that paved the sides and corners. The rectangular floor proved to be 72 feet long by 34 feet wide. It is little wonder that Maraehara's son got into difficulties with a ridge 72 feet long. The floor space was paved with unworked stone not closely set. Above this, white coral gravel had been spread. Midway along the sides there was a break in the set edging stones of 5 feet in width and 3 feet 10 inches in depth, evidently marking the doors.

The hare korioi was built for dancing and singing. One Ikaroa, deserted his wife Otaua at Rangiriri and sailed down to Aitutaki. Otaua followed in the canoe Te-Ue-Tohora and, guided by the sun and the moon, also reached Aitutaki. She discovered her husband at the hare karioi, where an entertainment was going on. To attract his attention, she leapt into a dance and made herself known in the following chant or pehe.

I rarango ana e Otaua i tona vaka,
Ko Te-Ue-Tohora mei Rangiriri,
Te kimianga i tana tane ia Ikaroa e
Ka kitea ki te Poniu-a-Hau e

I aru au e
I te ra e te marama
I te kimianga e
Ia Ikarna e
Ka kitea ki te Poniu-a-Hau e

Otaua built and prepared her canoe,
It was the Ue-Tohora from Rangiriri,
In the searching for her husband, Ikaroa,
He is found at the Poniu-a-Hau.

I followed alas,
The sun and the moon,
In the searching alas,
For Ikaroa, ah me,
He is found at the Poniu-a-Hau—alas, ah me.

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The house was merely alluded to as the hare karioi by my informants, but in the above song that they sang over its site, the name of the house was shown to be the Poniu-a-Hau.

Canoe Houses.

Open sheds with nikau roofs were constructed for the more valuable canoes. These were called hare horau, but in later times were referred to as hare mea.

Round Houses.

Jeffrey Henry was informed by a Missionary at Aitutaki that the dwelling houses in existence when they took up work had rounded ends and the roof came to a point. The Missionaries introduced the rectangular house, but in deference to native architecture, made hip roofs with a very short ridge. The roofs of the old mission houses and churches are of this type. Henry further stated that the boundaries of the four districts of Vaipae, Arutanga, Vaiorea and Matatane all converge on one boundary stone named Tahuhu-o-te-rangi, the Ridge of the Sky. He mentioned that the use of the word tahuhu (ridge) for a single point in an old place name confirmed the Missionary's contention that the roofs were pointed in olden times. This information was obtained in Raratonga whilst returning to New Zealand, and there was no opportunity of confirming the statement.

In this connection, it is of interest to note that Aitutaki was over-run by a numerous people known as Aitu in the time of Maewa-i-te-rangi. Though subsequently defeated by Maewa's grandson Marouna, the Aitu were never exterminated, but became merged in the population. The Aitu are held to have come from the region of Samoa, and may have introduced some culture elements into the craft of house-building.