Celebrations

Cassandra and Lucy talk about important gatherings in the maneaba.

Cassandra: Dances and choir practices, all of this would be well rehearsed in the maneaba for the main event, and that’s what mum was saying, this is kind of all in the lead up for special events—the birthday of the maneaba and any other big events.

Lucy: Before we had a meeting in the maneaba or someone else coming to there, we just can’t turn up in the maneaba. We have the thing, it's like that kind of shell, you have to blow it. We call it te buu. You have to blow that and everyone knows something happened. Everyone just come to the maneaba and just sit there in their own position and wait, what's happening.

Teaote: Usually when there’s an important occasion, you know like coming to the maneaba, the criers will go around the island instead of like, you know like in Lucy’s case they blow the horns, well, when I grew up, the criers, they go around the village. Not around the village, but one goes to the end of the village, and the other goes to the other. And so, then they are the announcers. They announce the meeting. The meeting will be—and they will be yelling from the end of the village—the meeting will be at the maneaba at that time and everybody will hear that from one end to the other.