Taputapuātea, an ancient marae at Ra'iātea in the Society Islands, restored in 1994.

A marae (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Maori, Tahitian) malaʻe (in Tongan), malae (in Samoan and Hawaiian), is a sacred place which served both religious and social purposes in pre-Christian Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the word also means "cleared, free of weeds, trees, etc." It generally consists 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 terraces (paepae) which were used in olden times for ceremonial purposes; and with a central stone ahu or a'u (sometimes as in the Rapanui culture's ahu on Easter Island "ahu" becomes a synonym for the whole marae complex). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 423 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 541 pixels, file size: 339 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 423 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 541 pixels, file size: 339 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... This article is about the Māori people of New Zealand. ... The Cook Islands Māori also called Maori Kuki Airani became an official language of the Cook Islands in 2003 (1). ... Tahitian could refer to the Tahitian language the native Tahitian people a resident of Tahiti or perhaps of French Polynesia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Hawaiian language is an Austronesian language that takes its name from HawaiÊ»i, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. ... Polynesian is an adjectival form which refers variously to: Polynesian pie Polynesian sauce, a food condiment available at Chick-fil-A the aboriginal inhabitants of Polynesia, and their: Polynesian culture Polynesian mythology Polynesian languages Category: ... The Rapanui or Rapa Nui (Big Rapa) are the native Polynesian inhabitants of Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean (the island itself is also called Rapa Nui). ... Rapa Nui redirects here. ... Rapa Nui redirects here. ...

In some modern Polynesian societies, notably that of the Māori of New Zealand, the marae is still a vital part of everyday life. However, in tropical Polynesia, most marae were destroyed or abandoned with the arrival of Christianity in the 19th Century and some of them have become an attraction for tourists or archaeologists. Nevertheless, the place where the marae were built are still considered as tapu in most islands and nobody would dare build anything on it. In the Cook Islands, a few marae (Arai-te-Tonga, Vaerota, Taputapuātea^[1]) are still maintained, and are quickly tidied up before the investiture of a new ariki. Tapu (or tabu) is a concept existing in many Polynesian societies, including traditional Hawaiian, Tongan, and Maori cultures. ...

Marae in New Zealand

A marae beneath Taupiri mountain, Waikato district, 19th century

In Māori society, the marae is 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 weddings and 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 is a wāhi tapu, a 'sacred place' which carries great cultural meaning. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

In Māori usage, marae is technically the enclosed space in front of a wharenui or meeting house (literally "big house"). However, it is generally used to refer to the whole complex, including the buildings and the open space.^[2] An unambiguous term for the area in front of the wharenui is marae ātea. This area is used for pōwhiri - welcome ceremonies featuring oratory. Some marae do not allow women to perform oratory there. The meeting house 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 the speakers sit; this means it retains its sacred and ceremonial associations.

Legal status

A marae is a meeting place registered as a reserve under the Te Ture Whenua Maori Act of 1993 ('The Māori Land Act'). Each marae has a group of trustees who are responsible for 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 name of the marae, and a description of it;
• a list of the beneficiaries: usually iwi (tribes), hapū (sub-tribes) or whānau (families); in some cases, the marae is dedicated to the common good of the people of New Zealand.
• the methods used to select trustees;
• general governing principles of the marae;
• the ways in which the trustees may be held accountable by the beneficiaries, and methods for conflict resolution;
• principles governing appointment and recognition of committees to administer the marae;
• procedures for amending the charter, and for ensuring adherence to its principles.

Iwi (pronounced ee-wee) are the largest everyday social units in Māori society. ... Māori culture is a distinctive part of New Zealand culture. ... Whānau is a Māori-language word for extended family. ...

Tribal, church, and educational uses

Waipapa marae, University of Auckland, New Zealand. The grassed area in front of the meeting house is the marae ātea

Most tribes and subtribes 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 renowned writer Patricia Grace. Since the second half of 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. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 501 pixelsFull resolution (1467 × 918 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 501 pixelsFull resolution (1467 × 918 pixels, file size: 1. ... The township of Plimmerton surrounds one of the more congenial beaches in the northwest part of the Wellington urban area in New Zealand. ... Patricia Grace (born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1937) is a notable Māori writer of novels, short stories, and childrens books. ... Porirua is a city in New Zealand, 20 km north of Wellington. ...

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 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 a venue for the teaching of whaikōrero (oratory), Māori language and culture, and important ceremonies for distinguished guests of the University. The University of Auckland (Māori: Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau) is New Zealands largest research-based university. ...

Rapa Nui/Easter Island

In the remote southeastern corner of the Polynesian Triangle elements of the traditional Polynesian marae evolved into the Rapa Nui/Easter Island Ahu & their iconic Moai (giant forms of Polynesian statues). See: Easter Island and its location Easter Island (Polynesian: Rapa Nui (Great Rapa), Spanish: Isla de Pascua) is an island in the south Pacific Ocean belonging to Chile. ... The Polynesian Triangle is a geographical region of the Pacific Ocean anchored by Hawaii, Rapa Nui and New Zealand. ... Polynesian is an adjectival form which refers variously to: Polynesian pie Polynesian sauce, a food condiment available at Chick-fil-A the aboriginal inhabitants of Polynesia, and their: Polynesian culture Polynesian mythology Polynesian languages Category: ... Easter Island and its location Easter Island (Polynesian: Rapa Nui (Great Rapa), Spanish: Isla de Pascua) is an island in the south Pacific Ocean belonging to Chile. ... Rapa Nui redirects here. ... Ahu Tongariki, restored in the 1990s Moai are monolithic stone figures on Rapa Nui / Easter Island, Chile. ...

• Ahu Tongariki
• Ahu Akivi

Ahu Tongariki with Poike Volcano in the background. ... Ahu Akivi, the only moai facing the ocean. ...

Tahiti

During the 1994 restoration of Taputapuātea marae at Ra'iātea by archaeologists from the Tahiti Museum, human bones were discovered under some of the structures; apparently, the remains of sacrifices to ʻOro. Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of the French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. ...

See also

• List of Marae in the Gisborne Region

This is a list article of marae located in the Gisborne region of New Zealand. ...

External links

• New Zealand in History: the marae - meeting place
• Gérard, Bertrand, Le marae : description morphologique in Cahiers des Sciences Humaines, 1978, Vol. 15, No 4, p. 407-448. Architecture and morphology of Society Islands Marae
• John Joseph Knight Hutchin, E Tuatua no te apai atinga ki mua i te marae, i te tuatau etene anga ("Tale of the offerings at the marae in heathen time") in "Collected songs and legends from the southern Cook Islands (c. 1883-1912)", notebook 2

Notes

1. ^ Rarotongan tradition holds that Taputapuātea marae at Rarotonga, which archaeologists have dated to 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 a Marae Taputapuatea of his own to wear the Maro-'ura (red waist girdle of the ariki)in. Ta'aroa Marau, "Memoirs of Arii Tamai e marama of Eimo Teriirere of Tooarai Terinui of Tahiti Tauraatua i Amo"
2. ^ This sense of the word is now common in New Zealand English. Like most Māori words, it is unchanged in the plural.

New Zealand English (NZE) is the English spoken in New Zealand. ...

References

• Hirini Moko Mead, 2003. Tikanga Māori: Living by Māori Values. Huia Publishers: Wellington.