Unworked pohatu maori is found in various places where it had been transported by man. The principal uses are as follows:—

1.—Sacred Places, Marae

The marae of Eastern Polynesia corresponds to the tuahu of New Zealand. It had a social as well as a religious significance. It was here that the appropriate ritual to the gods was carried out. The supernormal agencies, which, if neglected, might prove inimical to man, had to be placated on all occasions of great pitch and moment. Thus we find all chiefs and ancestors of any note associated with a particular marae. Every navigator who landed on an island named the passage in the reef through which he steered his canoe, the spot where he landed, and the place where he rested. He then dedicated and named a marae, where the proper ritual could be observed. If he moved on and settled in another part of the island he dedicated another marae. Thus some of the marae were of a temporary nature, for the page 209needs of the moment, and retained little beyond their site and name. Probably some of the loose stones lying about were aligned in a particular manner, but there is nothing at the present time to distinguish them from their surroundings. As some of my guides explained, after we had vainly sought for some distinguishing signs, "Kare i te marae noho mou"—"It was not the marae of continued settlement."

Hau-matangi, the first marae of Ruatapu, was of this nature. It was situated on a little summit at the end of a ridge on the northern part of the island, near where he landed, and consisted of a heap of scattered stones of medium size. The stones were the ordinary pohatu aoa that lay about the surface. The absence of large stones of the pohatu maori type and white coral gravel was attributed to its being of a temporary nature.

Te Hautapu-o-nga-Ariki, the marae of Ru, the discoverer of Aitutaki, was also on a ridge, but the site was much overgrown. Medium-sized stones had been arranged into a loosely-fitting pavement. The well-defined edge of one side could be followed for 63 feet. The other side could not be so clearly followed, but the widest part between the two sides was 22 feet. Though no large stones were present, imported white coral was abundantly present in the soil.

An old marae on a ridge at Arutanga had several large stones imbedded in the earth. One of these, which lay flat, formed the sacred part of the marae, and was named Tangaroa. It seemed to me that the site had been selected because of the stones, and not the stones carried to the site.

From the meagre information obtained, there were two general types of marae, temporary and permanent. The temporary marae were used by navigators who did not settle permanently in the particular district where they landed and placated the unseen forces of the new land. The loose stones, which are abundant everywhere, were probably collected in a heap or arranged in some manner of which we have no information.

The more permanent marae, which were in continued use for a period, had large stones of the pohatu maori type set up. Evidently some part was paved, and the rest covered with white coral gravel, kirikiri tea. There is no marae in Aitutaki that gives any idea of what the original page 210arrangement was. They were purposely dismantled early after the acceptance of Christianity. The early missionaries, after weaning the people from their ancient gods, encouraged the destruction of what they regarded as the evidences of heathen practices. Their converts were also eager to display their zeal in such a convincing manner as the destruction of the marae. Incidentally there was some personal satisfaction in thus cutting the ground away from their more conservative kinsmen, who were designated as the etene, the heathen.

Whilst admitting that the mental attitude in those days may have been justified to some extent, it is a matter for deep ethnological regret that these important landmarks of a stone age culture should have been purposely destroyed. Their preservation would have been a greater monument to Christianity than their destruction.

2.—Buildings and Village Sites.

Attention has already been drawn to the use of pohatu maori for placing round the walls of houses and to form rectangular areas in front. Though the use of stone to pave floors was not usual in dwelling houses, the visible proof of its use was evident on the site of the hare karioi in the old village of Vaitupa.

Smaller unworked pohatu maori were used for keeping down the edges of bark cloth when being dried. Some of these stones, through constant use, became quite shiny and polished in appearance. These and the unworked pohatu maori used as oven stones are to be found in old village sites.

3.—Fish Weirs.

Whilst the walls of fish weirs were constructed of ordinary lumps of coral, large pohatu maori were used to keep down the lines of leaves used as a race to direct the fish towards the enclosures. These were of considerable size, and were transported from the mainland. Their weight prevented their being shifted by the seas, and thus preserved the position of the lines. Pohatu maori were also used for special parts of the weir, such as the entrance.

4.—Boundary Stones, Kena.

Pohatu maori were used as boundary stones between different districts or tapere. They were termed kena. Such page 211a one is that dividing the three districts of Vaipae, Arutanga, and Matatane. It helped to settle a land dispute, because its authenticity was proved by its being mentioned in a pehe. This particular one had a name, Te Tahuhu-o-te-rangi. Boundary stones were also used to mark divisions between individual cultivations. They were also used in the water, such as the one named Raka to divide the lines for races leading to the fish weirs near Arani.

5.—Walls and Facings.

Walls of loose stones are now quite common along the sea side of the villages for keeping pigs from getting to the cultivations.

Stone walls were also extensively used in the terraces in the taro cultivations. The sides of the terraces on the hill side of the slope were excavated, but the sides on the down slope had to be built up with facings of stone to support the earth. The sides were also built up a little higher than the terrace surface in order to hold the water when the terrace was submerged with water from the irrigation channels.

6.—Roads and Paths.

Whilst stone does not seem to have been used much in Aitutaki for paving paths and roads, the subject of stone-work cannot be dismissed without reference to the famous road in Rarotonga known as Te Ara-nui-a-Toi, The Great Road of Toi. This road runs completely round the island, and stands further inland than the present Government road. Before the advent of Christianity all the villages were on the inland side of this road. In the neighbourhood of the villages the road is completely paved, with a raised edge of larger stones at both sides and flatter stones between. It is after the style of a cobbled road, except that the stones are not cut to fit against one another. In some places the stones have been removed for other purposes but in spite of this a considerable portion of the stonework is intact, though overgrown with vegetation.

Any part where the soil was wet was paved. Hollows and depressions were filled in and the road raised over them. Culverts were built by making two walls and laying flat stones over the top.

At some points cobbled roads lead back to the house site of some important chief or priest. Such a one is that page 212near the famous marae of Arai-le-tonga, Fig. 185. In the foreground is the curb of the Great Road, which makes a step. The back of this is lined with coral slabs, toka-a-punga. Behind that again is the surface of the branch road which leads back to the site of the house known as Harerangi. On the left and the right are large stones used as seats.

In Percy Smith's¹ description of Arai-te-tonga, he erroneously described this junction as a row of seats, whereas it formed a step up on to the side road, which was at a higher level, though it could be used as a seat.

7.—Stone Seats.

Numerous large stones exist along the Great Road of Toi which served as seats. A number of single stones are also set on either side of the Great Road by the marae of Arai-te-tonga. Particular ones were set aside for the arikis and certain chiefs.

On some of the house paepae are stone seats with a back, identical with those described by Linton² in the Marquesas. They were simply two large flat stones, one lying on the ground to form a seat, and the other embedded in the ground at an angle to form a back. In Fig. 186 two such seats are shown. They are on the paepae in front of where stood the house of the well-known Rarotongan priest and historian, Te Ariki-tara-are.

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