Comparisons with New Zealand.

Stonework. The stone marae of Eastern Polynesia is unknown in New Zealand. The social or chiefly phases of the Polynesian marae became transferred to the open space in front of the meeting house. This became the Maori marae, and it was here that the chiefs exercised their authority and extended hospitality. The priestly or religious phase of the marae became separated to the tuahu. The page 254tuahu was rarely marked by set up stones, but it became a site set apart for the observance of religious ritual.

Stones were used as boundary stones between cultivations, and some of these were worked. Stone walls have been noted in some parts, but such constructions are usually in the neighbourhood of old cultivations. They seem to have been collected to dispose of them rather than to use as shelter. Cobbled roads were unknown. Occasionally stones have been set up on end to mark the prowess of the victors in some battle-field. Stones were not used with dwelling houses except as hearth stones.

Adzes. There is a fundamental structural difference in the common types of adze of the two countries. The difference lies in the cross section. Cook Islands adzes are well made, ground, and polished, but by far the commonest type is triangular in cross section. In New Zealand the commonest types are quadrangular in cross section and the blades are comparatively thin. Though quadrangular adzes occur in the Cook Islands, they are not common.

Triangular adzes occur in New Zealand. Before they can be compared, attention must be drawn to the important distinction as to whether the surface corresponding to the base of the sectional triangle is anterior or posterior when the adze is lashed to its handle. If the base is anterior, a wide cutting edge can be produced by grinding a posterior bevel surface. In this case, however, the apex of the triangle at the butt comes into contact with the foot of the handle. In consequence, the foot of the handle has to be grooved and shaped to fit. This was done in the Cook Islands, and must have been done in New Zealand with similar forms.

If the base of the cross section is posterior, the lashing of the butt to the handle is simplified. The cutting edge, however, becomes a problem. It is not possible to form a transverse cutting edge with the apex anterior. No amount of grinding posteriorly can affect this unless the apex, or the lower end of the anterior longitudinal edge, is chipped and ground to meet the posterior bevel surface transversely. This was what was done in the Rarotongan adze, Fig. 201, the Kermadecs adze in the Auckland Museum, and the toki kouma of the Marquesas. An exactly similar condition is to be seen in an unfinished adze from Easter Island that is also in the Auckland Museum. Some of the New Zealand page 255adzes, triangular in section, described by Best,³ and some further specimens in the Auckland Museum, are undoubtedly derived from this type. It does not matter whether the anterior longitudinal edge is rounded off or not, the principle of construction is the same. They correspond with Skinner's Type III. From their marked anterior longitudinal convexity, it would appear that they were meant to follow a concave surface, such as the inner side of the hull of a canoe. From its wider distribution and the simpler method of lashing to the handle, it seems probable that this form of triangular adze preceded the common Cook Islands form, with the base of the triangular cross section to the front.

A few of the common Cook Islands type have been picked up in New Zealand. The one shown in Fig. 222 is in the Auckland Museum. It was found at Avondale.

Figure 222.
Adze of Cook Islands' type picked up on Auckland Isthmus.

Though a little rougher than the good examples, there is nothing in general shape to distinguish it from the typical Cook Islands adze.

Hafting. Sufficient attention has been drawn to the Cook Islands method of cutting a groove to fit the posterior longitudinal edge on the butt. With the Maori quadrangular adzes, the posterior surface of the butt fitted against page 256the foot of the handle without any special grooving being necessary. In the greenstone ceremonial adzes, toki pou tangata, a shallow groove was usually made to fit the butt.

Stone pounders. The Island pounders are really mashers used for mashing cooked food. They were used with the up and down motion of a pestle. The Maori did not mash his food, and there is thus no affinity between the stone pounders from the two areas. The Maori pounders are rounded at the distal end, as they did not require a pounding surface there. The pounders were used for beating scutched fibre on a flat stone, and were used with the action of a hammer. There were some, however, that were used to crush berries in wooden bowls. These were called tuki, as against patu muka, and were supposed to be somewhat flatter at the distal end.

Though food was not mashed as a rule, it probably was for children. The term for mashing is penu, as in Aitutaki. When potatoes were introduced and mashing was more frequently done, the potato masher was called a penu.