AN ANCIENT MARAE

Te Ao Hou, July 1956, Page 29

AN ANCIENT MARAE On Tuesday, 9th August, I persuaded a friend of mine to run me out to Tautira in his car. On reaching the district of Paea we visited an ancient Tahitian marae called Arahurahu, this being the only marae in all Tahiti that has been rebuilt and looked after. It was very interesting to walk through and inspect this marae, very different to what we call a marae in New Zealand. For here in Tahiti, the days of the marae are over and forgotten, for the original purpose of the marae was to provide a place for the crownings of kings, and a place where sacred events were practised. Now there is neither king nor queen. No do they perform sacred rites any more. Reaching the district of Papara we called in to see another marae called Mahiatea, the biggest marae of Tahiti and probably of the whole of Polynesia. It is one of the most recent maraes having been built between 1766 and 1768 by Queen Purea for her son Teri'iere. The altar called an ahu measured 26ft long and consisted of eleven tiers reaching a total height of 51ft. The courtyard, called a Pae Pae (377ft) at the end of which stood the Ahu, extended towards the west on a spot where a private dwelling now stands. Ceremonial dance at Bastille day celebration. Papeete. Instead of the poi. Tahitians swing bundles of dried grass in some dances. (Pacific Photos Tahitian houses have thatched roofs and walls are thatched reed panels. The same method of weaving is used as in Maori baskets but the strands are closer together. (Pacific Photos) On the whole this marae is about four times the size of the one in Paea and is situated on a point of beach land over looking the bay. Tautira is a fair sized village with a picture hall, two grocery stores, a bakery and a little wine shop. I rented a bach from an elderly Tahitian called Pepe and also arranged to have meals at his place. My friend went back, leaving me to spend my first night in this district of Tautira, gateway to the land of Pari, land of rugged bush-clad hills, waterfalls, caves and cliffs to the water's edge. Early the next morning I set off in a canoe for the reefs, to do a spot of fishing. Pepe fished while I swam around looking at the coral and walking up and down the reef, which is a wonderful sight. A few weeks before I had seen this from the air, and now I was right in among it all. It seemed so unreal that had I not seen it. I should not have believed. While awaiting tea. I marvelled at the coral which is able to stand up to such a battering from the waves and yet still remain intact.

This dance is known as the Otea. Leading woman is Germaine, most famous of South Pacific dancers. Her troupe are all male dancers from the island of Borabora. Main decoration of these elaborate dresses and headbands are shells with which all garments are studded. (Pacific Photos) “Haere mai ta maa.” I heard Pepe call, and away I went to join him in the evening meal. Pepe could speak a little English. We used to talk in Tahitian, until I couldn't understand; then he would explain things to me in what little English he knew, which was enough to be understood. It is a very pretty place, but as we walked through the forest, I noticed that the trees never reached the size of our New Zealand trees, although the tree ferns were the same. One day returning from a canoe trip we pulled in to the shore, and Pepe and I climbed up the face of a cliff to see an old grave, which was under an overhanging rock, but only a few bones remained of the skeleton that was once inside. Later we pulled into an island off the shore of Pari, which was only a quarter of a mile from the other island called Fenua' ino. After a meal we crossed over to the shore to a place called Mauoro. Now Mauoro is a small flat piece of land measuring about a quarter of an acre overgrown with Purau trees. Through these trees we went until we reached the foot of a steep hill side, and here facing the east and the rising sun were two stones, about 3 to 4 feet in height and width, and upon them are ancient drawings. On one is a drawing of the sun, which actually faces the rising sun. The other stone facing south has drawings of a star and quarter moon, exactly like the Whetumarama or badge worn by members of the Ratana movement here in New

Zealand. According to Pepe, his grandfather had told him that this place in the days gone by, was tapu, and, that it was a place of worship. From here we walked about 20 chains along the hillside to where, down by the sea was another huge stone about 10ft high and about the same width and length. Near the top was a round, clean hole bored through the stone. By looking through it, one could see out to sea. According to my friend, this was also one of the many things done by the folks of old. The name of this rock was “Te here a Umere.” We walked on around the island for about a 100 yards to where on a small hillock, was yet another rock, and a fairly large one too. What interested me was the fact that it had two holes about the size of a saucer and about 9 to 12 inches apart, one hole being blocked with a rock and the other being open. Pepe took hold of a branch of the coconut tree and with this he beat upon the open hole and it let out a booming sound. Pepe told me that in the old days this rock was used as a pahu or drum. When the surrounding people heard that drum it was signal to gather in the valley of Vai' ate. During their “hui raa tira” as the Tahitians called it, they even danced to the beating of this drum which was known throughout Tahiti as ‘Te Pahu i Vaiate.’