Kahu Kuta named "Te Tawhito"

This kahu kuta named Te Tawhito was woven by weaver Medina Koni as part of her exhibition Kua Puawai: The Blossoming and Fulfilment of My Raranga/Whatu Journey, which celebrated her 50th birthday and 30 years of weaving. The body of the cloak is completely woven from kuta, made up of 206 kuta whenu, 120 kuta aho, 200 kuta tags and tānekaha dyed muka tie.

Te Tawhito represents "The journey to get there". It tells the tale of my learning, the ebb and flow, the peaks, the seasons, of the lack in my knowledge and the gaps I needed to fill. The spaces in this work - rows of emptiness with no tags represent this. The lines of whatu symbolise the seeking of this knowledge, the trial and error, the research and invention through prior knowledge in order to grow myself and my craft to create this kākahu of kuta.

Kuta
Kuta (Eleocharis sphacelata) or water sedge is favoured in the far north for weaving but it is found throughout all three Islands. It is less common south of Lake Taupo but it also occurs in south Marlborough, Nelson, Westland, Fiordland, Southland, and Stewart Island, and is very rare in Canterbury.   While kuta was used to weave kākahu, kete, and pōtae, it’s spongy interior made it most valuable as whāriki moe, or sleeping mats.   Kuta prefers clean still water and is slow to establish and thrive which has further led to its decline today. Careful preparation is needed in its preparation and the freshwater reeds are gathered from rivers and lakes in the summer. The workable ‘spongy’ part of the plant primarily grow under water; this means the longest and best quality kuta must be collected from deep bodies of water often dived for. The material was then gently flattened before being covered and in a warm dry place where it was turned to prevent mould and allowed to dry a deep golden colour. In the past this was done under whāriki which were placed in direct sunlight, however in modern times modern corrugated iron has been substituted.

Medina Koni, 2022

What is a Kahu Kuta?
The kahu kuta is a specific type of kākahu woven using kuta kuta or water sedge. This type of cloak was worn historically and currently by the weavers of Te Tai Tokerau (Northland) and is a regional subtype of pākē, or raincape . Kahu kuta come in two general types – where kuta is scraped and added as hukahuka (tags) to a cloak woven from muka (flax fibre) where they serve to resist the rain and protect against bad weather. Much rarer are ‘full’ kahu kuta which are woven completely from kuta including whenu (warps), aho (wefts), and hukahuka. Kahu kuta had the advantage of keeping the wearer warm and dry in the rain but were also cool and breathable in hot weather and sun. They could also double as a soft surface to sleep on.

References:
Tamarapa, A. (2011) in Whatu Kākahu: Māori cloaks. Wellington, N.Z.: Te Papa Press, p. 37.