Kahu huruhuru (feather cloak)

This kahu huruhuru demonstrates the transition period, when Māori culture underwent large-scale change during the nineteenth century. Its complex design has a central feature of a predominantly orange trapezoid, framed with dark feathers, and bordered in white with double orange bands near the front hemline. The design must have been planned ahead, as weaving commenced at the hemline – unfortunately, however, the ideas behind the weaver’s work are no longer known. 

While the flashes of contrasting feathers may have been calculated to catch the the eye, the cloak hides a secret. Concealed from view among the white kererū feathering of the right front border is a single black-green peacock feather and a single row of orange kākā feathers. Researchers of woven taonga often discover unexpected or unconventional elements like this worked into garments. Some speculate that these mamy be a form of 'signature'. Māori researcher and academic Dr Patricia Arapo Wallace (Ngāti Porou) has a theory that they indicate a special loving touch, a tohu - a sign or symbolic message that the weaver shares with the wearer.


Construction
The kaupapa (foundation) is muka (New Zealand flax fiber), weft twined in whatu aho pātahi (single pair weft twining). The whenu (warp threads) measure fiver per centimetre, with 8-10 mm spacing between each aho (weft thread) row. The aho poka (shaping rows) are in compound elliptical inserts, with one row 36 cm from the bottom and seven rows 15 cm from the top. The lower edge has a selvedge commencement. The top of the cloak has a double-element finish, with lengths of whenu threads left long at each end.

The feathers of eight different bird species are used in the cloak: white and green kererū feathers, bluish-black tūī feathers, blue and black pūkeko feathers, orange and rusty-red kākā feathers, light green kākāriki feathers, a variety of peacock feathers, rare ruru (morepork) feathers, and brown/blue male pheasant feathers.

This cloak is the first record of the inclusion of ruru (morepork) into a Māori cloak.

This text is based on an excerpt from Whatu Kakahu|Maori Cloaks (second edition), edited by Awhina Tamarapa, © Te Papa Press 2019.