Tops, Potaka or porotakataka.

Tops are known as potaka or porotakataka. Potaka is the Maori name for tops. Potaka is also the Aitutaki name for the cocoanut leaflet hoop and porotaka is the name given to the leaflet windmill. There are two kinds of top and a third form of teetotum.

(1.)	Wooden tops, potaka rakau. These are the same shape as the usual whip top. The top season was not in amongst the children, so no specimens were seen. The old people, however, stated that they were exactly the same shape as the Maori tops figured by Mr. Elsdon Best. The wood used was the hau, tamanu, nono, and others.
(2.)	Cocoanut tops, potaka hakari. These were made from the whole shell of the small cocoanut known as rakita. The cocoanut was husked and the shell was used either with the flesh in or after it had been removed. The flesh was rotted out by pouring in sea water through the upper holes. Some had a hole bored in the side to make a humming sound when the top was spinning.
(3.)	Teetotum, potaka miro. The dry midrib of a cocoanut leaflet was thrust through the berry of the miro and left with a short end to form the spinning point. The other end of the midrib was left long and twisted between the palms of the hands to make the teetotum spin.

The whip, tahiri, was made from the kaihara, aerial root of the pandanus. One end was kept as a handle and the other end beaten until the fibres were spread out, to serve as the lash. The whip was about 2 feet 6 inches long.

Spinning cord. The tops were spun with a cord, probably on account of the short length of the whip. The cord was a strip of kirihau, hibiscus bast. In the case of the cocoanut top the bast strip was wound round the middle of the nut and a twist taken round the right forefinger. The top was spun with a quick outward jerk and a pull inwards of the cord. The same was done with the wooden top, but the winding was made round the upper part. After starting the top with the cord, the kaihara whip continued the spinning. Tops were made to fight by driving them so as to meet. The use of stone tops was unknown.

When the strip of bark was wound round the top preparatory to spinning, the following pehe was recited:—

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Top-spinning Chant.
Tatarake, tatarake,
Ka pene te niko,
Rani kute, rani kute,
Kokiritua, kokiritua,
Tahurihuri, tahurihuri,
E rua te awa e—­

Tatarake, tatarake,
Stand on your point,
My eyes are red with effort.
Do not stick like the kokiri fish,
But spin, spin,
And groove the land like a river.

At the last word, e—, the bark strip was thrown out and jerked in to spin the top. In reciting the chant, several children repeated it together, and all spun at the same time.