archaeology
Arai-te-Tonga
Stone structures preserve a chiefly court and sacred ancestral place.
The story behind the place
Arai-te-Tonga on Rarotonga is both a marae and a koutu associated with the Makea community. The court has been a place for investing ariki with their titles, and its platform and upright pillar remain distinctive features. Oral traditions and continuing chiefly connections give the place meanings beyond its surviving stones.
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Read more from the sources
- Arai-te-Tonga — Cook Islands TourismCook Islands Tourism
- Arai-te-Tonga — OpenStreetMap contributors / NominatimOpenStreetMap contributors / Nominatim
