Atua are the gods and spirits of the Polynesian peoples such as the Māori or the Hawaiians (see also Kupua ); the Polynesian word literally means "power" or "strength" and so the concept is similar to that of mana . Today, it is also used for the monotheistic conception of God . Especially powerful atua include:
34-495: In Māori mythology , Rongo or Rongo-mā-Tāne (also Rongo-hīrea , Rongo-marae-roa , and Rongo-marae-roa-a-Rangi ) is a major god ( atua ) of cultivated plants, especially kumara (spelled kūmara in Māori ), a vital crop. Other crops cultivated by Māori in traditional times included taro , yams ( uwhi ), cordyline ( tī ), and gourds ( hue ). Because of their tropical origin, most of these crops were difficult to grow except in
68-449: 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
102-596: 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,
136-516: A Rongo i roto i tona 'are, E 'are turu ariki. When the rain is heard on the leaves, Rongo enters into his house, A house of chiefly prestige. Atua In Samoa , where atua means "god" in the Samoan language , traditional tattooing was based on the doctrine of tutelary spirits . There is also a district on the island of Upolu in Samoa called Atua . Atua or gods are also at
170-570: 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,
204-401: 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
238-574: 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
272-561: 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
306-617: 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 ,
340-409: Is a son of Tāne and father of the kūmara, but a man named Rongo-māui travels to Whānui , from whom he steals the kūmara and returns to Earth with it. Small statues representing Rongo were once placed alongside kūmara fields. In southern Cook Islands mythology , Rongo was the god of agriculture and one of the children of Vatea (sky father) and Papa (earth mother). His twin brother was Tangaroa ,
374-733: Is the name that is used to refer to the deity which the character Angie Yonaga worships in the English dub of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony . The term "Atua" is often associated with her character. This article relating to a myth or legend from Oceania 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 )
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#1732771869221408-410: 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
442-506: 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
476-641: 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
510-470: The Keia district; the inland Akaoro marae, and the coastal Orongo marae, which was arguably the most important of all marae on the island, and constructed at the site of an abandoned village of the same name. Both have since been destroyed along with many other symbols of old gods with the introduction of Christianity in the early 19th century. They were presided over by two hereditary High Priests of Rongo. At
544-439: The Māori had brought with them from eastern Polynesia , rather than larger varieties brought by later sealers, traders, and whalers in the early 19th century. In the Māori language , rongo can mean 'peace' (after war). Rongo is generally portrayed as the creator of the kūmara, a plant associated with peace; probably because the intense cultivation it needed was best performed in times of peace. In Ngāti Awa traditions, Rongo
578-559: The Orongo marae a human sacrifice was laid on a smooth block of limestone or sandstone in front of Rongo's image. Human bone fragments can still be found among the remnants at the site. At the Akaoro marae, it is evident that a platform of hala wood was erected for human sacrifice, although no traces of raised platforms have been found. In the Ivirua district was also Ivanui marae, but this
612-417: The centre of Māori mythology. In traditional Māori belief, there is no specific word for "religion" because the natural and supernatural world are seen as one. In other Austronesian cultures , cognates of atua include the Polynesian aitu , Micronesian aniti , Bunun hanitu , Filipino and Tao anito , and Malaysian and Indonesian hantu or antu . In popular culture, Atua
646-520: The far north of the North Island , hence the importance of Rongo in New Zealand . He was also an important god of agriculture and god of war in the southern Cook Islands , especially on Mangaia where the Akaoro marae and Orongo marae were centres of his worship; where cooked taro was offered to him to assure success in battle and the fertility of land. A legend concerning Rongo flying
680-453: The first kite is told in the waiting room of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room , in which Rongo is voiced by Ernest Tavares. In the creation story of the tribes of the Arawa canoe , Rongo, with his brothers Tū , Tāne , Tangaroa , and Haumia-tiketike , agreed that the primordial parents Rangi and Papa needed to be separated to allow daylight into the world. A sixth brother, Tāwhirimātea ,
714-490: 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
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#1732771869221748-424: The god of storms, did not consent to this and afterwards attacked his brothers with unrelenting fury. Rongo and Haumia, the god of wild food, took refuge in the body of Papa, mother earth, who hid them until the storm passed (Grey 1956:7, Tregear 1891:424, Orbell 1998:121). He would have had more of an association with the small, yellow-skin, finger-sized variety known as hutihuti , rekamaroa , and taputini , which
782-517: The god of the sea. Rongo was the principal deity of Mangaia. In the Mangaian legend of origin, Rongo's sons by his wife Tavake (his daughter by his wife Te-po-tatango), Rangi, Mokoiro, and Akatauira, lifted the island of Mangaia up out of the underworld , becoming the first settlers and the ancestors of the Nga Ariki tribe, with Rangi becoming the first chief . The traditional name of the island
816-466: The god of war and god of taro irrigation ; his regular peacetime offerings were parcels of cooked taro. The ideological linkages between Rongo, war, taro, and human sacrifice were complex: Rongo assured success in war and fertility of the land, but these required continual sacrifices in both human bodies and taro in an endless cycle. He would feast on the souls of those who died in battle. Principal places of Rongo's Mangaian worship were at two marae in
850-407: 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
884-400: 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
918-400: 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
952-467: 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
986-411: 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
1020-528: 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 ,
1054-517: 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
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1088-528: 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 ,
1122-456: Was A'u A'u , which literally means 'terraced', short for A'u A'u Nui o Rongo ki te Ao Marama ('Great Terraced Land of Rongo in the Land of Daylight'). In Mangaian society, the ritual system to become the principal chief, Te Mangaia , emphasized the worship of Rongo. The installation of a new Te Mangaia after a war of conquest of the puna lands required a human sacrifice to Rongo. He was both
1156-417: Was abandoned in favour of Orongo marae; it was referred to in an eva dance: ' Aore oa te paepae o Rongo e taea, E paepae tuatinitini tuamanomano, Kota'i 'ua e tae O te 'i'iri, o te rarama. The platform of Rongo cannot be ascended, A platform open to the thousands and to myriads, One only can reach it, Wisdom and learning A reference to Rongo is such: ' A va te ua i ta'aruku A tomo
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