The Carved Meeting House

On the meeting ground, or marae, stands the carved meeting house. A guardian figure, or tekoteko, stands on the tip of the house, gazing around. Below the tekoteko is a carved face. This is the face of the ancestor. On both sides of the carved face are the bargeboards. These are the arms of the ancestor. Below the bargeboards are the posts connecting Ranginui, the sky father, with Papatūānuku, the earth mother. At the front of the house, at the bottom, is the paepae, or flat board. On both sides of the porch are posts. The carvings on the posts are symbolic of the ancestral chiefs of the marae. To the back of the porch is the door and the window. Above the door is the lintel. On both sides of the door are the leg-posts. The carved meeting house looks very good, very beautiful.

Māori Language Home Page | Māori Version | Vocab List

Copyright 頱999, 2001 Gavin Kingsley. This page last updated 10 February 2001. Contact me.