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SIDE STORY The Whare nui - The Meeting House |
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The most important building of any marae (accommodation complex) is referred to as the whare tipuna (ancestral house), whare whakairo (carved house), whare nui (great house), whare hui (meeting house), whare moe or whare puni (sleeping house), or whare runanga (council house). It is a place where everything of consequence to the iwi (tribe), hapu (sub tribe) or whanau (family) takes place.
This building is believed to have a spiritual identity of its own. It is usually named after an ancestor and is designed to represent this person in a symbolic way. The tekoteko (carved figure) on the roof top in front of the house represents the ancestor's head. The maihi (front barge boards) represent the arms of the ancestor, held out in welcome to visitors. The tahuhu (ridge pole), which runs down the centre of the whare from front to back, represents the spine, and the heke (rafters), reaching from the tahuhu to the poupou (carved figures) around the walls, represent the ribs of the ancestor. |
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