Studio: international art (22.1901)

Maori Houses

The materials used for the
construction of houses of the
better kind were not those
which might happen to be
near at hand. They seldom
cut down fine trees which were
growing near the site of the
new house, and they were very
particular about the surround-
ings and view. They sought
for, collected, and prepared
materials for months and years.
Suitable timbers were slowly
and laboriously dressed down
to the required size with stone
tools; the timber most de-
sired was that brought down
by the floods, and buried for
years in the bed of a river,
which had thus in the course
of time lost its sap and be-
come seasoned. When
seasoned timber could not be

MONUMENT TO TEWHERO's FAVOURITE DAUGHTER. FROM A DRAWING - , ,

BY C J. PRIORI US f0Und> hUSe t0tara PmeS ^

felled, and the trunks were
split with wedges of hard wood.

stood fourteen feet in height, and was carved by a An instance of the Maori builder's great energy is
lame man, who used an old bayonet as a chisel. shown in the transport of a ridge-pole, a solid
When this old man was shown a photograph piece of totara pine of no less than eighty-six
of the mausoleum, he declared that the photo- feet in length, which was dragged a distance of
grapher was a great " Tohunga." twelve miles, and finally erected on three pillars,

RANGIHAETA's HOUSE ON THE ISLAND OF MANA. FROM A DRAWING BY C. J. I'R/ETORIUS

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