Temwaiku south tarawa atoll

High Resolution JPEG Picture of Temwaiku, South Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Island, Kiribati: Maneaba or Mwaneaba is the name of a traditional meeting house in Kiribati (maneapa in Tuvalu), the building has both sacred and secular functions. It is understood as the common house of the community. Sometimes there are several of these houses for the different clans. In addition to being a meeting place to make important joint decisions for the community, it is also a celebration center, e.g. for dance and singing performances. A traditional maneaba is an imposing structure, the vernacular architecture employes slabs of coral supporting a huge roof formed from coconut trunks, held together with coconut string and thatched with pandanus leaves.