[Mihalic] Making roofing

[Terry H. Gilsenan]

Hello,

Bryant, I'm sorry about the direct reply, I didnt check and thought I was
reply to the list.
I'll be more careful in future, my apologies.

> Terry has replied directly to me as follows:
> Morita or Morata are the words for the type of thatching depicted.
"Marita"
> is actually a type of pandanus fruit that is used as a soup, or sauce for
> cooking
>
> >Morita or Morata are the words for the type of thatching depicted.
>
> 'Marita' is Pandanus conoideus and is eaten.  P. conoideus leaves are not
> much used for thatch (presumably because it would damage their
> productivity), but the more robust pandanus species, which can get quite
> big, are. But they are also called generically 'marita' in the foothills.

True, however I believe that the plant dies after the "Marita" is removed (I
could be wrong here)

>
> Mihalic 1971 distinguishes 'morata' ["thatch shingles made from sago palm
> or nipa palm leaves"] from 'marita' ["the reddish brown edible fruit of
> pandanus"]. I think Mihalic is wrong about the sago (I don't know about
> nipa). Does anybody know of sago being used for thatching?

Sago fronds are generally unsuitable for thatching, and they are weaker, and
rot very quickly, so Pandanus is preferred with coconut coming next.

> I have never
> been sure about the distinction and the pronunciation difference are
> slight. But I have to admit that I think  Terry is right about 'morita'
> being the term for the thatch. Do 'marita' and 'morita' come from the same
> root? Is it just a matter of pronunciation?
>

You could be on to something here, inthe Highlands especially the Southern
highlands and the Jimi valley area
"Marita" is eaten, and "Karuka" (another type of pandanus fruit) is eaten,
but the houses are thatched with Kunai
not pandanus leaves, so "Morita" has no meaning there, but "Marita" does.




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