Feasts

Feasts (takurua) were given by powerful families or by a whole tribe to celebrate special occasions. The whole family or tribe contributed vegetable foods from their own cultivations. In addition to prepared cooked foods, quantities of taro with leaves and side suckers untouched were contributed. Coconuts were gathered in the bunches adhering to the main flower stem, and various stages of the nuts were placed in separate heaps. The men went fishing beforehand to provide a sufficient number of packages of cooked fish to form the flesh complement of the meal.

For large feasts the food was stacked up in rectangular enclosures (tui tui-tu) made of stakes of candlenut (tuitui) poles set upright (tu). The number of enclosures depended upon the divisions of the guests. A large enclosure was made for each puna (district) represented, and others for the high priests of Rongo. In less important feasts, the food was piled on the ground in heaps (putunga) with much the same arrangement as in the enclos-page 139ures, uncooked food below with cooked preparations and fish above Packages of poke took the place of roroi.

Public feasts were held on the following occasions:

1.	Public meetings to discuss politics during peace(e tara i te'au). A favorite place for such meetings was the marae of Tukituki-mata in the Keia district. The following fragment of a song refers to such meetings: A pua'ia te tara, e tara i te 'au ra e, Talk in a circle, talk of the reign, E ringi toto, e tata ko'e Of the spilling of blood, of playing the flute. E taki 'akapira e-.
2.	To celebrate the completion of a nariki net. It took an expert some time to complete the fine-meshed nariki, which was very valuable. The whole family, with their nearer collateral relations, gave contributions of food, and the expert net maker was paid with food. Ordinary nets were not so honored.
3.	Opening a chief's new house.
4.	Making a new, or repairing an old, marae.
5.	Religious ritual (karakia or kai pure).
6.	Birth feasts. On the occasions when people gathered together to sing the tauariki or mire songs.
7.	Marriage feasts.
8.	Death feasts.
9.	Installing an ariki ('ikianga ariki). The ariki so installed were the two priests of Rongo and the Rulers of Food. My informants stated that there was no feast at the installation of the Temporal Lord.

Invitations sent out by the hosts were the tip ends of coconut leaves ('uku kikau), affixed by a messenger to the walls of the houses of the invited guests.

The sharing of the food is termed tu'anga, from tu'a (to share). When enclosures (tuitui-tu) were not used, the food was laid on sections of banana leaf, each leaf divided into three sections. The whole layout of food was termed 'uku rauaika ('uku, "midrib"; rauaika, "banana leaf"). The size of the feast was indicated by the number of banana leaves used. The banana leaf sections were grouped together to form separate allotments which varied with the status of the people for whom they were intended and also with the number who had to share it.

The total quantity of food collected was divided into allotments by the hosts. The family head might delegate the distribution to a member of his family. In a district, one of the subdistrict chiefs was usually appointed by his brother chiefs to superintend such matters. The chief, versed in etiquette, knew the number of allotments to be made, and he indicated to his assistants where the banana leaf sections should be placed and how much of each kind of food should be placed in each allotment. Special allotments were made to the priests of the tribal gods, the ariki priests, the Temporal Lord with the district and subdistrict chiefs, and the people:

1.	The tribal priests (pi'a atua). If the priests of Motoro, Tane, and Turanga were present, three allotments were made and each share was indicated when the allotments were called. The priests of Motoro took precedence. page 140
2.	The ariki priests. Three allotments were made. The Inland High Priest took precedence, the Shore High Priest came next, and the Ruler of Food came last.
3.	The Temporal Lord came next to the ariki priests, with one allotment. The district chiefs(pava) each had an allotment. The subdistrict chiefs (kairanga nuku) of each district were grouped together as the 'ui rangatira, and each group had an allotment. Each allotment was so arranged that subdistricts (tapere) would have an even share of the food provided. After the allotments were called, the subdistrict chiefs of each district divided the allotment into shares corresponding with the number of subdistricts. Each subdistrict chief then divided up his share between himself and the lesser chiefs in his subdistrict.
4.	The people. A long, single spread was laid for those without any title or distinction. After the allotment was called, persons of both sexes sat down on either side and ate as at a long table.

Sometimes a district held a feast in which the subdistrict chiefs were given individual allotments, and their titles were called. The share of food was awarded to the title (tao'anga) and the kairanga nuku had to eat the food himself. It was tapu to him and he could not give any to his wife.

Once a kairanga nuku of Veitatei named Ouro took a portion of food home to his wife from a district feast. The district chief was informed of this lapse in custom. At a later feast of a similar nature, Ouro was not awarded a share. Ouro, not knowing of the punishment that awaited him, attended the feast. The Ruler of Food, on seeing him, called out, "Ei miri koe, e Ouro." (Take your place behind, Ouro.) Ouro was thus publicly relegated to the common lot with the mass of the people. The punishment of being publicly shamed was acutely felt and acted as a safeguard to established custom. The act was promulgated in song:

Te ua o te rangi ei miri au e.	The-rain-from-heaven is placed behind.
I karanga Mauria mei kai koe i anga'uru.	Maruia called, "You may eat with the many."
E Ouro 'oki te tu'itu'i i kai rava,	Ouro should have eaten all even to repletion,
Kua rarerare tapiri koe koi'o.	But he took food away and now shrinks against the wall in shame.

Note: The-rain-from-heaven referred to Ouro's title as a subdistrict chief; while Maruia was the Ruler of Food.

The allotments having been satisfactorily set out, the official Ruler of Food took charge and called the feast (nana e tuoro te takurua). The first call (tuoro) was a general one and took the following set form:

Putunga a kai	Allotments of food
Na Ruanuku, na Tangaroa,	For Ruanuku, for Tangaroa
Na te anau Atea—	For the descendants of Vatea—
E tini—e mano.	(They are)numerous—(they are)myriad.

Note. Ruanuku is a mythological character who had something to do with food from the sea, and the primogeniture of Tangaroa is recognized by calling his name instead of that of Rongo.

The distributor then placated the tribal gods by giving them a small portion such as a single taro, saying,

To taro e Motoro—a kai,	Your taro, O Motoro—eat,
To taro e Tane—a kai,	Your taro, O Tane—eat,
To taro e te pupu kai ai,	Your taro, O host of gods,
Ara—a kai.	There you are—eat.

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The Ruler of Food proceeded to call the allotments in the order given. He held a piece of banana leaf (rauaika) in his hand and touched the allotment with it as he called the title of the person to whom it was allotted.

The personal name followed by the title might be called. On coming to the district chiefs, the order commenced with the districts on the right from east (head) to west (tail) and then, similarly, with the districts on the left. The chief was referred to as head, body, or tail of the fish of Rongo. Thus, commencing with Parima, chief of Tamarua, the call was, "Na Parima teia, no teta'i pauru o Rongo ia Mangaia nei." (This is for Parima, one of the heads [of the fish] of Rongo in Mangaia here.) The call could be varied by saying, "Na Parima teia, no te pauru o Rongo i katau." (This is for Parima, the head [of the fish] of Rongo on the right.) The allotment of the subdistrict chiefs of Tamarua was called thus, "Na te 'ui rangatira teia, no te pauru o Rongo i katau." (This is for the assembly of chiefs from the head [of the fish] of Rongo. on the right.) The other districts were similarly called by designating the part of the fish to which they belonged. The common people, when called, were referred to as the papa mau tane (males) and the papa mau va'ine (females).

When the allotments had all been allocated, the food was collected in baskets by the various recipients and removed to some convenient place where they could eat. Except under the special rules governing the district feasts, the people, after regaling themselves, took the remainder home.