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The Material Culture of the Cook Islands (Aitutaki)

Oven Covers, rau tao

Oven Covers, rau tao.

There are no plaited bands used to build up a rim round the circumference of the oven as in New Zealand. Neither are plaited mats used as covers, but their place is taken by a covering of leaves. The leaves of the young hau are most commonly used, as the plant grows everywhere. These leaves may be over 10 inches wide. The breadfruit and other leaves are also used. The manner in which they are sewn together is ingenious and merits description.

Two or three leaves are placed with the stalks together and the same surface upwards. With a pointed stick, a hole is pierced through one quadrant. The stalks of two other leaves are passed through the hole and the leaves flattened out so that they will overlap the next quadrant of the two foundation leaves. Fig. 56A. Another hole is pierced and the stalks of two more leaves passed through. These are rotated again to overlap the next quadrant of the foundation leaves. A third hole is pierced and the stalks of two more leaves passed through. These are rotated to cover the last quadrant of the foundation leaves. A fourth hole is pierced and two more stalks passed through. We have thus four sets of leaves symmetrically arranged as in Fig. 56B, with their stalks protruding
Figure 56. Oven cover. Commencement technique.

Figure 56.
Oven cover. Commencement technique.

Figure 57. Oven cover. Fixation of leaf stalks.

Figure 57.
Oven cover. Fixation of leaf stalks.

page 54 through the foundation leaves on the under surface. Each added pair has also passed through the overlap of the previous pair.

The leaves are now turned over and the stalks fixed. The four pairs of stalks form the four corners of a square, Fig. 57A. Commencing with any pair, they are bent round the inner side of the next pair and twisted round them twice. This second pair is bent across at right angles to pass on the inner side of the third pair. The free ends of the first pair are to the outer side of the second and are effectively fixed in position. The second pair takes two twists round the third pair which is bent over at right angles to fix the second and to pass to the inner side of the fourth pair round which it makes two twists. The fourth pair must make two twists round the first pair to complete the fixation. The first pair is now lying horizontally, so the fourth pair must pass under it near its point of emergence, take two twists round it and finish with the free ends to the outside, Fig. 57B. In the figure, for the sake of convenience, the pairs of leaf stalks are merely represented by one. In this manner, the layer of leaves is firmly fixed together.

Figure 58.Oven cover, rau tao.

Figure 58.
Oven cover, rau tao.

page 55

To increase the circumference of the cover, the leaves are turned over. Another series of holes are pierced on a wider circuit and leaf stalks passed through. The leaves are turned over and the leaf stalks fixed as before. See Fig. 58, which shows that eight sets of leaves were added in the second layer. More layers can be added if necessary. The success of the technique depends on the leaf stalks passing on the inner side of the following set.

These covers are used several times. The name rau tao is derived from rau, leaf, and tao, to cook in an earth oven.