Po`aki “Ka Ru te `Au” - The Memorial stone ‘Ka Ru Te Au
The Memorial stone ‘Ka Ru Te Au’
This is the story when Vaipae`s warriors slit their hands so the blood dripped onto this rock. This was to symbolise their their refusal of accepting the Gospel in their determination to avenge the Vaovaokā battle. When the Gospel arrived on Aitutaki in the year 1821, all the villages accepted the Gospel except for Vaipae. A chant was created to urge the tribes of `Ue and Kaura in Vaipae to adapt to the change and to live with understanding. Two years later in March 1823, Vaipae had to deal with their anger from the loss of the Vaovaokā battle by cutting themselves in front of the rock and accepted the Gospel.
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Ko te po`aki teia i `akamaringi ei te au toa o Vaipae i tō rātou toto ki runga. Te tumu, kare i tika ki ta ratou i manako e, ka `ono ratou i te pou `ō Vaovaokā. Tae mai te ēvangeria ki Aitutaki i te mataiti 1821, `āriki te au oire katoatoa, ko Vaipae anake tei kāre `ī `āriki ana. Ta Vaipae i inangaro, ka `ono ratou i te pou `ō Vaovaokā. Kare rā e ravenga, kua mārama te tangata. E rua mataiti i muri mai (Mati, 1823), ko tā rātou i rave i tō rātou riri, kua tīpū ia rātou i mua i teia po`aki, e kua `āriki atu a Vaipae i te evangeria.