Interior of the Pa Maori

We have already scanned various descriptions of the interior arrangements of a fortified village, and the illustrations throw more light on the matter. We now give a few more items, as collected from early works, and from elderly natives in the years that lie behind.

Mr. Nicholas, the companion of Marsden in the northern part of New Zealand in 1814-15, speaks as follows of a Bay of Islands pa:—"We could perceive that the town was a fortress of very great strength, considering the rude mode of warfare pursued in this island. It was almost encompassed with a deep and wide trench, on the inner side of which was formed a breastwork of long stakes stuck in the ground at a short distance from each other, and so compactly firm as to be capable of resisting for a long time the most impetuous attacks of its undisciplined assailants. Passing this fortification, we entered the town itself, which consisted of some huts built on each side of several little lanes, or rather pathways, for they were made barely wide enough for one person to pass through at a time. Before each hut was an enclosed space, resembling a court yard, in which was a shed or out-house, employed by the inhabitants for various purposes of domestic convenience. The entrance to these enclosures was by stiles ingeniously contrived, and fancifully embellished; and I observed some on which there was a rude carving of the human form. The lanes …… were crossed in some parts with these stiles."

Early writers were much given to describing the stockade timbers of the pa maori as being 'driven into the earth', or as being 'stuck in the ground,' both of which are very misleading statements. Such timbers were set in suitable post holes that called for laborious page 128 page 129 exertion in sinking, and the earth was thoroughly tamped round them in order to ensure stability. The Maori possessed no apparatus that would enable him to drive heavy timbers into the earth.

Crozet describes the interior of a pa seen by him at the Bay of Islands in 1772 as follows:—"The interior of the village is composed of two rows of houses ranged side by side along the two sides of the palisades which form the enclosure, and every house is furnished with a penthouse, which serves as a kitchen. The savages eat their food under these sheds and never take a meal inside the house. The space which divides the two rows of houses, and which is more or less roomy, according to the lay of the ground, serves as a sort of parade ground, and extends the whole length of the village. This parade ground is raised about a foot higher than the surrounding ground on which the houses stand. It is raised by means of soil brought there and beaten down; no grass is to be seen on it, and the whole place is kept extremely clean. The whole space between the two rows of houses is only occupied by three public buildings, of which the first and nearest to the village gate is the general magazine of arms. A little distance off is the food storehouse, and still further the storehouse for nets, all the implements used in fishing, as well as all the necessary material for making the nets, etc. At about the extremity of the village there are some large posts set up in the form of gallows, where the provisions are dried before being placed in the stores….

"The whole of the villages which we saw during our two months stay in the Bay of Islands appeared to be constructed on the same plan without any well defined differences. The construction and form of the private houses, as well as those of the chiefs, were the same in all the villages; they were all palisaded and placed on high cliffs. At the extremity of every village, and on the point which jutted furthest into the sea, there was a public place of accommodation for all the inhabitants."

These observations by men who saw the native villages ere contact with Europeans brought about any alterations, are the most interesting and valuable that we possess.

Meals were often taken in the porches of dwelling houses, but such porches were not used as kitchens, i.e., as cooking places. Crozet's 'parade ground' would be the marae or plaza of the village community, where meetings took place, visitors were received, and evening amusements of young folk indulged in. A superior house allotted to visitors would impinge upon such a space. A few large houses, embellished with carved figures would represent the page 130residences of the higher chiefs, but most of the dwelling places were but huts. Elevated store huts and platforms formed a common feature.

The latrines (paepae hamuti) of fortified places were sometimes situated outside the defences. These would be used by the people at all times except when the place was awhitia (embraced, i.e., surrounded) by enemies. When a place was so surrounded the folk sometimes used a paepae koroahu which consisted of a tunnel-like hole or shaft sunk inside the pa and perhaps leading out to a cliff or steep bluff. Or the paepae was constructed half way down such a sloping shaft. The natives were, in former times, extremely particular concerning these sanitary arrangements. They are now remarkably careless, having lost their old time social discipline.

Special places were used as kitchen middens in a village. There would be one handy to every collection of cooking sheds. These middens are the rukenga kainga, or pukaitanga para where all refuse was thrown. Shell heaps of great size are seen on many parts of the coast where old time villages existed.