38 



The' Ancient Haivaiian Hoitse. 



'r**k.>»Or 



h 



l^ 



been carved in 1S20, and now in the Bishop Museum, gives a fair idea. These were 

 generally memorials of the ancestors, human or divine, of the builder and not infre- 

 quently show a great amount of patient work. Even to the 

 present day there are Maori skilled in this work, and with the 

 white man's chisel the work is much lightened. Fig. 35. The 



principal post, pojitokomanaiva, sup- 

 porting the ridge-pole, was carved in 

 the lower portion in a more realistic 

 way (see Fig. 32), and I have seen an 

 outstretched hand from one of these 

 figures that might have been the work 

 of a competent European sculptor. 



Externally the sculpture was ex- 

 pended on the gable front of these 

 houses, as may be seen in several of 

 the illustrations given. Of these the 

 amo^ of which a fine pair from Tara- 

 wera is shown in PI. XXII, supported ^^^^Hf -sft:. 



the lower end of the niailii or barge- 

 boards; the latter supporting at 

 ^ :rr.',- % the peak a figure, usually a mask 



( konint) , above which is the tekotcko. 

 As shown in the illustration ( Fig. 25 ) 

 these images were of varied form, often 

 grotesque, but always possessing 

 some attributed power of protedlion, 

 and so strong was this that the tapu 

 often withheld the hand of the vic- 

 torious enemy who had killed the 

 inmates from disturbing the house; 

 if the owners were all dead no one 

 would despoil it even for firewood. 

 Over the door was an elaborate carv- 

 ing called /"rtTr or konipe^ one of which 

 is shown in PI. XXII. This rested 

 on the whakaivac or ngawaewae. The fancy of the Maori 



sculptor had free play on these lintels and they are among the most artistic Maori monu- 

 ments in museums. Besides the one figured this Museum possesses another carved 



[222J 



>L I'OI FKd.M .MAkivTU. 



FIG. 31. A MAORI MVTHICAIv 

 FORM ON A HOUSE SLAB. 



