Korowai

This korowai (cloak with tassel adornment) originates from the top of the South Island. Made of dressed muka (flax fibre) and wool, it would have been traditionally worn for comfort and style. Muka is the foundation material for all woven korowai. The wool in this example would have been added to provide colour and additional decoration.

Muka
Muka is derived from the sword shaped leaves of the flax plant (Phormium tenax), an evergreen found mainly in swampy or low lying areas around New Zealand. It was made by stripping the outer layer of flax with a shell (often a mussel shell). The fibre was then washed and pounded with a muka patu (blunt stone or wood club) to leave a fibrous thread that was silky and soft to touch. The thread was then bound together into a sturdy chord and sometimes dyed before weaving.

Weaving
Cloak weaving was always done from left to right, with the work suspended between two upright turuturu (weaving sticks) stuck into the ground. For large cloaks, two pairs were necessary to keep the operative edge at the correct height.