Pa Sites

Pa sites were defensive villages Maori tribes would live in temporarily, sometimes permanently. Pa sites were usually found in the north island of New Zealand. Over 5000 sites have be discovered. These Pa sites were place on the top of hills with palisades (tall sharp wooden sticks stuck together), defending each level. The Pa sites represented mana of an iwi. The tribes that lived on these Pa sites would usually use them to defend their water source, and wells. They would also store their food mainly kumara in pits on the pa sites. The Pa sites were used by the early Maori, but when the English colonies came, they would barricade themselves in.











Here is a clear diagram of a Pa site. The whare are up on the top with wooden fences also known as palisades were fenced around. They put fences on multiple levels in case the invaders got in.

This is a drawing of a Maori tribe defending themselves in a Pa site.