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29-658: Tāheke Marae is a meeting place of the local Ngāpuhi hapū of Ngāti Pākau , Ngāti Rauwawe and Te Māhurehure . It includes the Tāhekeroa meeting house . In October 2020, the Government committed $ 492,430 from the Provincial Growth Fund to revamp and redesign the marae's wharekai (dining hall). 35°27′30″S 173°39′15″E  /  35.458451°S 173.654277°E  / -35.458451; 173.654277 This Northland Region -related geography article

58-449: A Karanga (call) . The wharenui is the locale for important meetings, sleepovers, and craft and other cultural activities. The wharekai (dining hall) is used primarily for communal meals, but other activities may be carried out there. Many of the words associated with marae in tropical Polynesia are retained in the Māori context. For example, the word paepae refers to the bench where

87-578: A Marae Taputapuatea of his own to wear the Maro-'ura (red waist girdle of the ariki) in. Mangaia had a marae named Taputapuatea and an ariori (priest) house. In the remote southeastern corner of the Polynesian Triangle elements of the traditional Polynesian marae evolved into the Rapa Nui /Easter Island ahu and their iconic moai (statues). According to Salmond, marae are "portals between Po,

116-607: A central stone ahu or a'u is placed. In the Easter Island Rapa Nui culture, the term ahu or a'u has become a synonym for the whole marae complex. In some modern Polynesian societies, notably that of the Māori of New Zealand , the marae is still a vital part of everyday life. In tropical Polynesia, most marae were destroyed or abandoned with the arrival of Christianity in the 19th century, and some have become attractions for tourists or archaeologists. Nevertheless,

145-542: A house or building). Also called a whare rūnanga ("meeting house") or whare whakairo (literally "carved house"), the present style of wharenui originated in the early to middle nineteenth century. The houses are often carved inside and out with stylized images of the iwi 's (or tribe's) ancestors, with the style used for the carvings varying from tribe to tribe. Modern meeting houses are built to regular building standards. Photographs of recent ancestors may be used as well as carvings. The houses always have names, sometimes

174-401: A place where the culture can be celebrated, where the Māori language can be spoken, where intertribal obligations can be met, where customs can be explored and debated, where family occasions such as birthdays can be held, and where important ceremonies, such as welcoming visitors or farewelling the dead ( tangihanga ), can be performed. Like the related institutions of old Polynesia, the marae

203-569: A venue for the teaching of whaikōrero (oratory), Māori language and culture, and important ceremonies for distinguished guests of the university. Two detailed secondary-school marae are located in the Waikato at Te Awamutu College and Fairfield College . The latter was designed by a Māori architect with a detailed knowledge of carving and weaving ; its wharenui features an intricately carved revolving pou (pillar) as well as many other striking features. In addition to school activities, it

232-1056: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Marae A marae (in New Zealand Māori , Cook Islands Māori , Tahitian ), malaʻe (in Tongan ), meʻae (in Marquesan ) or malae (in Samoan ) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term also means cleared and free of weeds or trees. Marae generally consist of an area of cleared land roughly rectangular (the marae itself), bordered with stones or wooden posts (called au in Tahitian and Cook Islands Māori) perhaps with paepae (terraces) which were traditionally used for ceremonial purposes; and in some cases, such as Easter Island ,

261-561: Is a wāhi tapu , a 'sacred place' which carries great cultural meaning. In Māori usage, the marae ātea (often shortened to marae ) is the open space in front of the wharenui (meeting house; literally "large building"). Generally the term marae is used to refer to the whole complex, including the buildings and the ātea . This area is used for pōwhiri (welcome ceremonies) featuring oratory. Some iwi (tribes) and hapū (sub-tribes) do not allow women to perform oratory on their marae , though typically women perform

290-410: Is used for weddings. As in pre-European times, marae continue to be the location of many ceremonial events, including birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries. The most important event located at marae is the tangihanga . Tangihanga are the means by which the dead are farewelled and the surviving family members supported in Māori society. As indicated by Ka'ai and Higgins, "the importance of

319-501: The 13th century, was built by Tangi'ia who brought the central stone with him from the ancient marae of the same name at Ra'iātea . Indeed, it seems that it was quite usual in ancient times to take a stone from this marae. The son of Tetupaia and Teu had not only the right to a seat in the great Marae of Taputapuatea in Raiatea, but he could take his stone from Taputapuatea and set it up in his own district of Pare Arue (Tahiti), so founding

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348-636: The 20th century, Māori in urban areas have been establishing intertribal marae such as Maraeroa in eastern Porirua . For many Māori, the marae is just as important to them as their own homes. Some New Zealand churches also operate marae of their own, in which all of the functions of a traditional marae are carried out. Churches operating marae include the Anglican , Presbyterian , and Catholic churches. In recent years, it has become common for educational institutions, including primary and secondary schools, technical colleges, and universities, to build marae for

377-452: The border of the King Country . These wharenui were used for meetings, church services and accommodation. After the construction of Te Tokanganui-a-Noho, very few wharenui were created for decades, and those which were built were simpler and uncarved. By the 1920s, marae and wharenui had become a symbol of Māori cultural identity, especially among people who were landless. Āpirana Ngata

406-401: The carvings on wharenui. Opposition to carvings depicting genitalia began to cease in the 1940s. The building often symbolises an ancestor of the wharenui's tribe. Different parts of the building represent body parts of the ancestor. Other important components include: The marae ātea is a very important open space directly in front of the wharenui, which is used to welcome visitors onto

435-465: The construction of three massive wharenui during the New Zealand Wars . The first, Tanewhirinaki, which was completed in the late 1860s and located at Waioeka , was painted in black, pink and white. Construction of Te Whai-a-te-Motu at Ruatāhuna began in 1870, and was eventually completed in 1888. The third, Te Tokanganui-a-Noho, was constructed at Te Kūiti in 1873, after Te Kooti retreated behind

464-483: The first, followed by Utu-ʻai-mahurau at Paea , Mahaiatea marae at Papara , Tarahoʻi marae at Pare - ʻArue , and Hitiaʻa marae on Hitiaa O Te Ra . In Tahiti , marae were dedicated to specific deities, and also connected with specific lineages said to have built them. During the 1994 restoration of Taputapuātea marae at Raʻiātea by archaeologists from the Tahiti Museum , human bones were discovered under some of

493-407: The institute built to maintain the tradition of whakairo . The Institute is responsible for the building and restoration of over 40 marae around the country. Most iwi, hapū, and even many small settlements have their own marae. An example of such a small settlement with its own marae is at Hongoeka Bay , Plimmerton , the home of the renowned writer Patricia Grace . Since the second half of

522-509: The meeting house. Wharenui have been built in New Zealand for hundreds of years. By the 15th century, wharenui became more elaborately carved, and large enough that one or two central pou (posts) were needed to carry the weight of the structure. In the 18th century during the voyages of James Cook , he and his crew sighted wharenui which were 10 metres in length, and entirely carved. The introduction of steel tools by European settlers allowed

551-455: The name of a famous ancestor or sometimes a figure from Māori mythology . Some meeting houses are built at places that are not the location of a tribe, but where many Māori gather; typically, a school or tertiary institution with many Māori students. While a meeting house is considered sacred, it is not a church or house of worship, but religious rituals may take place in front of or inside a meeting house. On most marae, no food may be taken into

580-400: The operations of the marae . The Act governs the regulation of marae as reservations and sets out the responsibilities of the trustees in relation to the beneficiaries. Generally each marae has a charter which the trustees have negotiated with the beneficiaries of the marae . The charter details matters such as: The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Act 1963 was passed and

609-400: The place where these marae were built are still considered tapu (sacred) in most of these cultures. As is usual with Māori nouns, the same word serves as the singular and plural of marae . The word has been reconstructed by linguists to Eastern Oceanic *malaqe with the meaning "open, cleared space used as meeting-place or ceremonial place". In Māori society, the marae is

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638-514: The size and scale of wharenui to increase, and wharenui built from the 1840s onwards became the direct antecedents of the style and structure of modern wharenui. Taiporohenui, constructed at Manawapou (near modern day Mokoia in South Taranaki ) in the 1850s, was 27.6 metres long and 9.2 metres wide. The size and scale of Taiporohenui symbolised the opposition of Māori to European settlement and colonisation of traditional lands. Te Kooti oversaw

667-467: The speakers sit; this means it retains its sacred and ceremonial associations. Marae vary in size, with some wharenui being a bit bigger than a double garage, and some being larger than a typical town hall. A marae is a meeting place registered as a reserve under the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 (The Māori Land Act). Each marae has a group of trustees who are responsible for

696-411: The stones of many of the ancient marae remain to this day. Some marae are in better shape than others, as vegetation grows fast on the islands. In Rarotonga, a few of the marae (Arai-te-Tonga, Vaerota, Taputapuātea) are still maintained, and are quickly tidied up before the investiture of a new ariki . Rarotongan tradition holds that Taputapuātea marae at Rarotonga, which archaeologists have dated to

725-556: The structures. It is possible they were the remains of human sacrifices to the god ʻOro, revered in Tahiti. Wharenui A wharenui ( [ˈɸaɾɛnʉ.i] ; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a marae . Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English , or simply called whare (a more generic term simply referring to

754-522: The tangihanga and its central place in marae custom is reflected in the fact that it takes precedence over any other gathering on the marae". In the Cook Islands , there are many historic marae ( tapu or sacred places ) that were used for religious ceremonies on the islands. Rarotonga and Aitutaki have some particularly impressive marae. Although many of the carved figures on the marae were either destroyed or confiscated by Christian missionaries ,

783-511: The use of the students and for the teaching of Māori culture. These marae may also serve as a venue for the performance of official ceremonies relating to the school. The marae of the University of Auckland , for instance, is used for graduation ceremonies of the Māori Department, as well as welcoming ceremonies for new staff of the university as a whole. Its primary function is to serve as

812-520: The world of the gods and darkness, and the Ao, the everyday world of people and light, so that people could communicate with their ancestors ." Notable marae include Vai'otaha marae on Borabora , Mataʻireʻa marae on Huahine , and Taputapuātea marae , a UNESCO World Heritage site on Raʻiātea, considered to be one of the most sacred sites in Polynesia. ʻOro marae on Tahiti included Vaiʻotaha marae at Tautira ,

841-585: Was a proponent of reviving wharenui as a symbol of Māori identity and mana. Waikato Tainui leader Te Puea Hērangi was a large proponent of the re-development of marae in the country, leading to the construction of wharenui at Tūrangawaewae in Ngāruawāhia and Te Puea Memorial Marae , the first urban marae in Auckland . During the 19th and early 20th century, missionaries and Christians condemned whakairo depicting genitalia, and removed penises of ancestors from

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