1. The Marae
The full name for the sacred courtyard
in front of the meeting house is Te Maraenui-Atea-o-Tumatauenga
(the larger marae of Tumatauenga, the Guardian of War). Going on
to the marae means entering into an encounter situation, where challenges
are met and issues are debated. All newcomers to the marae must
be greeted formally by the tangata whenua (hosts), whether in the
warmth of a welcome, in the sadness of a tangihanga or even verbal
battle on mutual issues. It is the place where people formally come
together on a specific occasion for a specific function. It has
its procedure and this is referred to below, although it may vary
from iwi to iwi.
2 The Meeting House.
The marae and the meeting house are complementary
and together serve as the focal point for community sentiment. The
meeting house is normally the major central building and, in the
main, ornately carved.
The meeting house has many names, including
whare tipuna and whare nui etc. In nearly all cases it is not only
named after an ancestor but it is structured to represent symbolically
the ancestor. Thus the carved figure (tekoteko) on the roof top
in the front represents the ancestor's head, the carved angles from
the head down towards the ground (maihi) represent the arms, the
ridge pole to the carved figures around the walls (poupou) represent
the ribs. The poupou are normally carved ancestors representing
other tribes. Poupou then function as identifies in a feeling of
belonging. The uprights, normally two holding up the tahuhu, represent
connection between Ranginui the sky father and Papatuanuku the earth
mother. While there are other interpretations it follows appropriately
that meeting houses are named after an ancestor. Thus, on entering
the house it can be seen as entering into the bosom of the ancestor.
It follows also the interaction between people on Te Maraenui Atea-o-Tumatauenga
can be and should be significantly different from the type of interaction
which is normally encouraged inside the house. It is believed that
inside the house the Guardian of Peace (Rongomatane) reigns and
it is in this atmosphere and under this belief that people are required
to interact with one another.
The Meeting house traditionally faces
east, to see the first rays of the sun as each day dawns. Likewise,
in our tangihanga (funerals) the body lies in state, within the
bosom of the ancestor, or under the protection of the ancestor to
witness the fullness of last days on earth.
3 The Whare
Kai.
As the name implies, this is
the eating house, the place where the "inner being" is
satisfied. The whare kai is a separate building, not necessarily
as a physical reality but in some cases as a concept or belief.
The concept of tapu prescribes
where food is eaten, where it cannot be eaten, and also where drinks
can and cannot be drunk. To the Maori, food is a common element
(noa) and the opposite of tapu. Whereas the whare tipuna (meeting
house) is tapu (sacrosanct) and food cannot therefore be eaten there,
the whare kai is free from tapu - the two are at opposite ends of
a continuum.
4. Other buildings and
structures.
Many marae have a graveside
(urupa) nearby acknowledging the ancestors as a living dimension
of life. An ancestor is commemorated within a building - respects
are paid to those who have passed on to the hono-i-wairua (gathering
place of spirits) within a whaikorero (formal speech making) reflecting
the belief in the merging of life and death that is significant
and meaningful for the Maori. People living (te hunga ora) are the
result of a combination of the dead (te hunga mate) and the living
(te hunga ora). References to these concepts are very frequent in
whaikorero.
On some marae memorials to a
significant ancestor or people who died in the second world war
are found to the side of the marae or whare nui and in some cases
a flag pole stands majestically at the side of the meeting house.
Last, but not least, the ablution
block and toilets are placed significantly to the rear of the whare
nui and the whare kai.
