Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

The Material Culture of the Cook Islands (Aitutaki)

Stilts, rore

Stilts, rore.

Stilts or rore were used by children in the ordinary way, or in competitions, when they took sides and tried to knock one another down. They were also used by men in dances. Stilt dancing was made a special feature by the people of Vaipae. In a demonstration given by four men, they danced to the music of the small wooden takere, supplemented by the beating of a large drum of European origin. They kept perfect time to the music, and their acrobatic performance seemed quite easy to them. Fig. 284.
Figure 284. Men of Vaipae village on stilts.

Figure 284.
Men of Vaipae village on stilts.

page 330

The stilt consisted of a pole of hau about 8 feet 2 inches long. The step was also made of hau, and in shape was very much like the step on a Maori digging implement, ko. It was 6 inches wide at the foot rest, and about 10 inches in a vertical measurement. It was lashed on to the handle with strips of hau, bark, as shown in Fig. 285. The step was 1 foot 8 inches above the ground.

Figure 285.Dimensions of stilt, rore.

Figure 285.
Dimensions of stilt, rore.