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A ''marae'' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian) ''malae'' (in Tongan), ''malae'' (in Samoan) and ''mālae'' (in Hawaiian〔http://wehewehe.org/gsdl2.85/cgi-bin/hdict?e=q-11000-00---off-0hdict--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-ED--4-------0-1lpm--11-haw-Zz-1---Zz-1-home-malae--00-3-1-00-0--4----0-0-11-00-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&d=D12535〕) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the word also means "cleared, free of weeds, trees, etc." It generally consists 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 terraces (''paepae'') which were traditionally used for ceremonial purposes; and in some cases, a central stone ''ahu'' or ''a'u''. In the Rapanui culture of Easter Island "ahu" 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. However, in tropical Polynesia, most marae were destroyed or abandoned with the arrival of Christianity in the 19th century and some of them have become an attraction for tourists or archaeologists. Nevertheless, the place where the marae were built are still considered as ''tapu'' in most islands. In the Cook Islands, a few marae (Arai-te-Tonga, Vaerota, Taputapuātea〔Rarotongan tradition holds that Taputapuātea marae at Rarotonga, which archaeologists have dated to 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 a Marae Taputapuatea of his own to wear the Maro-'ura (red waist girdle of the ariki)in.'' Ta'aroa Marau, "Memoirs of Arii Tamai e marama of Eimo Teriirere of Tooarai Terinui of Tahiti Tauraatua i Amo" 〕) are still maintained, and are quickly tidied up before the investiture of a new ariki. ==Etymology== The word has been reconstructed by linguists to Eastern Oceanic '' *malaqe'' with the meaning "open, cleared space used as meeting-place or ceremonial place".〔(Polynesian Lexicon Project Online )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Marae」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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