Marae
A marae (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), malaʻe (in Tongan), meʻae (in Marquesan) or malae (in Samoan) 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 (au in Tahitian and Cook Islands Māori), and perhaps with paepae (terraces) which were traditionally used for ceremonial purposes; in some cases, such as Easter Island, a central stone ahu or a'u is placed. In the Easter Island’s Rapa Nui culture, the term ahu or a'u has become metonymic for the whole marae complex itself.
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, the place where these marae were built are still considered tapu (sacred or forbidden) in most of these cultures.
As is usual with Māori nouns, the same word serves as the singular and plural of marae.
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