MARAE IN MODERN DRESS

Te Ao Hou, Spring 1952, Page 24

MARAE IN MODERN DRESS ‘A reasonably equipped marae,’ said Sir Apirana at Raukawa Pa, ‘must necessarily include the assembly place as the central feature, and also provide up-to-date amenities such as dining-place, sanitary conveniences and water supply. There must also be some beautification, as that is an important psychological factor. Sports grounds for the youth of the race must also be provided.’ These ideas are of course not traditional, but modern. They are a proof that the Maori is not content to follow the past but has adapted useful pakeha ideas freely in his own tribal life. The building of dining-halls started late last century, but the first ones were earthen-floored affairs, without any ornamentation, intended just to keep the weather out. The Lady Arihia Ngata Memorial Hall, at Waiomatatini, was the first ornamental dining-hall. It was washed away when the Waiomatatini Creek flooded. Many more were built all over the country; the dining-hall became the social hall for dances and every sort of informal gathering. The meeting-house is now mainly a ceremonial and a sleeping hall. The dining-hall gets over the problem of tapu. In many meeting-houses dances and suchlike functions are still not held for fear of violating tapu. The dining-hall is now the most indispensable building of a marae. Many smaller communities now tend to build their dining-halls before they have meeting-houses. This is an interesting new development. The Maori Social and Economic Advancement Act has given a tremendous impetus to the building of dining-halls. Many dozens of such halls have been subsidised and built during the last few years, and Maori community life has been given a great new stimulus in this way. Turangawaewae marae (Ngaruawahia), was the first properly laid out marae on a big scale, followed shortly after by Poho o Rawiri (Gisborne). On such maraes one finds lawns, shrubbery, sports fields, tennis courts and so on. Sanitary facilities are also essential; these had come to many maraes before this time: it had been one of the functions of the Maori councils to have these installed. Whenever new buildings are put up nowadays, the Health Department requires proper sanitary facilities.