MAORI HOUSE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 5 January 1923, Page 5

MAORI HOUSE.

FORTY YEARS IN A CELLAR

lW ZEA»S AIMS ITS

t Jn the h e a% £«A t 2L. consequence of murders perSfted by the latter tribe during th?2£ M^ tatehokia consulted with Weniha A™ nm and other natives, andwftfc iMaU>r' Man- but the matter was left in abeyXe tor about two years. Then the whole tribe took ,t up and decided to buUd a house and represent in its carvSgs H it-T *nt*J tor?- rt was commenced n 18,4. In March, 1875, it was onened Jimi&ter of Native Affairs and many tZtfl^ nat:VeS and Eur-o P ean"al tended the ceremony. There will >1 Si Uh° m°mb *the d mon! •stiations on that day In 1879 the New Zealand Government acquired the house and exhibited \\ V}* Inte™atl°nal Exhibition held ?i.S? dne?- A* the close of the exhihition it was perhaps rather unwisefy fnTrS te\i\ th« Government iii oidei that a place might be found ™l m the South Kensington Museum. As it measured 79ft 6inin iSt" X^j? breadth ' *nd m S height, the Museum authorities in London not unnaturally found some difficulty m providing space for its w IS: *S + 188J the sectio»* SSf P!? to London in the Herefoid and Japan, the farmer vessel carrying 19 tons of the building and the atter some 47 tons. It was erected m the grounds of the Victoria and ™lf + ITv 1 but as extensio«s were made to the Museum almost immediately the Maori nouse had to be disfnrSff Mu? eum > and there it has lain toi gotten by most people for forty lhT{) i ere was a, sugg€s*ion that it should be re-erected at the Industrial Ji/xhibition in London in 1899, but the idea was abandoned for financial reasons. it space can be found for it at the British Empire Exhibition it will be a valuable addition to the New Zealand display. Sir James ' Allen has been considering this project, and no doubt when the permanent officials for the i\e\v Zealand section are appointed they will gladly avail themselves of the opportunity of making use of this valuable example of Maori art, either as a tea room, or a place for housing New Zealand curious. The High Commissioner s negotiations with the Museum authorities are not complete, but it is understood that they will be rather pleased than otherwise to give back this unwieldy treasure to the New Zealand Government. What will eventually become of it is a matter yet to be decided. image of each post represents the ancestors of some tribe or sub-tribe The principal one is Toi, from whom tne whole native race is supposed to have sprung; his figur-e is carved on the bottom o£ the middle post in company with Awa and Toroa. The front pole represents the figure of Kahungunu, ancestor f of the Hawke's Bay natives, llongowakaata, ancestor of the Poverty Bay natives, and Te Whatuiapi^i, another ancestor of the Kawke's Bay natives. The small image represents Te Ngapara, who was killed many years ago while trading off Whale Island. The second small image represents Te Maitaranui, grandfather of Wepiha Apanui, and of Mr Faloon, who was murdered at Whakatane. The carving on the ridge-pole in front of the house, ;represents Ruamoana and Matearehe, ancestors of Ngatipukeko tribe; also Awatope, a god. The image on top of the ridge-pole represents Mokoera, father of Apanui. The twin images on the right hand of the porch represent Taitimuroa and Wahahamama, ancestors of the Patuai tribe. The twin images on the left of the building represent Tarakiuta and Tarakitai; these twins were boys belonging to the Rongowhakaata tribe. Tupurupuru, a chief of Poverty Bay, was by right entitled tc- the first of the preserved birds—in fact to a royalty on all birds killed in Poverty Bay; but on these twins reaching maturity, he would lose it, as they were from an elder branch of the Kimily. He therefor© determined to get rid of them, and accordingly dug a deep pit across a road where the twins were in tne habit of spinnng tops. One day he sent them out to play, and so they fell into the pit prepared for them, and were killed. The footboard across the front of the porch represents Oniawa, ancestor of the Ngatiawa. and the rmage on it was carved by a Fijian named Kune, in honour of Thakobau, of Fiji. The posts on the right of the house represent Kiore, Paraheka, Taha, Pa- i kakaho, and Hikapehiwai, ancestors of the Ngatiawa; Te Kahaatarao, ancestor of Te Kaha natives; Te Imuwhakapuru, ancestor of Ngatipukeko; Tuteao and Rangihouhiri, ancestors of the' Ngatiawa; Hikareia, father of Hori j Tupaea, Chief of Tauransja; Te Rangi Kawehea, ancestor of the Chief Rangitukehu, of Rangitaiki; and Matekitatahi, ansector of the Whanauapanui tribe. The posts on the left side (represent Te Rangitumau and Tamaruarangi, ancestors of Ngatiawa; and Te Harawaka, ancestors of Te Whanauapanui. The mermaid is called "Te Makarini," after Sir Donald McLean. The next post represents Waihapuku, Te Tawha, Pirauwhenua, and Tamawhiro, ancestors of the Ngatiawa; Apanui, ancestor of the Whanauapanui tribe; Te Hiikitu, ancestor of, the Ngatirangi; Te Kama-a-Pakui, Tahakaiora, and Omutaha, ancestors of the Ngatiawa. 'On the inside of the porch the figures represent Iratumoana Whetenui, and Kohi, ancestors of Ngatiawa. The totara timbers, some of them forn- or five feet wide, are evidently all well preserved, no pernicious insetcs having injured them during the forty i years they have reposed in the darkness of a London cellar.