"The traditions show that the residences of the king were fairly flexible. The building of new 'houses' was obviously the result of (male) births in the royal family. In each case, the house that was built last is left to the newborn son and his mother, together with a specific servant, while the king has a new and separate residence constructed for himself.

Ms. E clearly demonstrates this procedure, which was followed in spite of Hotu Matua's quarrel with Vakai. In the text four houses are associated with the four sons. Later residences of Hotu Matua have different names and are the scenes of different activities. The four sons and the four houses are coordinated as shown in Table 10:

 

TABLE 10
1. Hare Tupa Tuu 1. Tuu Maheke
2. Hare Pu Rangi 2. Miru (Te Mata Nui)
3. Hare Moa Viviri 3. Tuu A Hotu Iti (Te Mata Iti)
4. Hare Moa Tataka 4. Tuu Rano Kau

The first house is located in Oromanga. It is the residence (maara noho) of the immigrant king that was envisioned in the dream voyage and sought by the explorers. The second and the third houses are also said to have been in Anakena, a short distance away ('60 meters', according to my informant). Supposedly, the same is true of the fourth house. It is difficult to translate the names of the houses. Below is an incomplete list of possible translations:

 
tupa tuu

'the crab has arrived'; 'the litter has arrived'; 'a stone tower has been erected'
pu rangi

'the shell trumpet calls'; 'hole in the sky'; 'royal tribe'
moa viviri

'rooster who turns around'; 'energetic son'
moa tataka

'the roosters form a circle'; 'son who departs' (? RAR.)' or 'son who doesn't fulfill the expectations (? MAO.)'; 'son who unites many around himself'

It appears that the names of the houses of the four sons are arranged in pairs and express some characteristics of the descendents who live in them. Only Ms. E shows this type of connection.

Arturo Teao mentions some of the names of the houses, but he does not associate them with the respective sons. According to him, 'Hare Tupa Tuu' is the first residence of the king after the immigration (TP:44). After the quarrel with Vakai, Hotu Matua moves to 'Hare Moa Viviri' and later to 'Hare Moa Tataka'.

The second and the third residences are associated with successful agricultural activities (TP:51). Then this source deviates from Ms. E: the fourth residence is 'Te Ngao O Te Honu', and the island king is accompanied to this place by a small adopted boy. The fifth residence is 'Taro Tataka'. In each case, the king is followed by Vakai.

According to Leonardo Pakarati, 'the neck of the turtle' was the birthplace of the youngest son, Tuu Hotu Iti. He has no information about the place called 'taro is standing in a circle'.

Ms. E lists as the last residences 'Aro Huri' (for three months), 'Maunga Pua' (for three months), and 'Tavarivari A Umi'. As already mentioned, 'Aro Huri' is a slight elevation in the flank of Maunga Koua, and it is the fourth point of demarcation along the border of the tabooed royal district. 'Maunga Pua' is the old name for the mountain now called 'Maunga Koua'. It is the fifth point of demarcation along the border of the royal precinct. The last name could not be located." (Barthel 2)