Kahu kurī (dog skin cloak)

This kahu kurī is from the Augustus Hamilton collection, which was purchased from his widow by the Dominion museum (Te Papa's predecessor) in 1914. Although most of the hair has worn away and some strips from the kaupapa (foundation) have detached, this allows the cloak’s construction to be clearly seen. The narrow dog skin strips are ingeniously cut and very precisely inserted end to end.

Kahu kurī are always outstanding for the meticulous care and skill required in their manufacture.

Kahu Kurī
Kahu kurī (dog skin cloaks) are made of strips of dog skin with hair attached taken from the kurī (Māori dog). These strips which vary in length, are arranged by colour and sewn ontothe kaupapa (foundation) of the cloak with fine bone needles. The foundation of kahu kurī are woven from muka (New Zealand flax fibre) using a technique called pauku or pukupuku. The pukupuku weaving technique uses the whatu aho pātahi (single-pair weft twining) in close succession to form a thick and heavy protective garment. The awe (dog-hair tassels) that fringe the outside length of　some kahu kurī, are taken from the underside of the dog's tail and are similar to the circlet of dog-hair tassels that adorn the necks of taiaha. The ruffled kurupatu (dog-hair collars) are entirely separate to the kaupapa of the cloak and are made by threading separate strips together to make a length of collar that is sewn onto the neck of the finished garment.

Prestigious garments
Kahu kurī are prestigious garments possessing great mana (prestige) and were highly-prized heirlooms. Each garment possessed its own personal name and its history was carefully preserved right up to the time it passed out of Māori ownership. Sadly, most now remain anonymous in museum collections around the world. The possession of a kahu kurī immediately identified the owner as a rangatira - someone of prestige and position within the hapu (sub-tribe) or iwi (tribe). These garments were often exchanged between people of rank in recognition of important ceremonial occasions and affirmed the mana of both the giver and the recipient.

Construction
The kaupapa of this kahu kurī is muka (New Zealand flax fibre) weft-twined in pauku or pukupuku technique. The whenu (warp threads) measures five per centimetre. The bottom edge has a rolled finish.

Dyed and natural muka have been used to weave tāniko (geometric patterning) in diagonal lines, at each border, including the top. The tāniko measures five whenu per centimetre and is 20 mm in width. The edge is finished with an ornamental twist. The aho poka (shaping rows) are in two sets of simple elliptical inserts, one set 40 cm from the bottom and the other 60 cm from the top of the cloak. The strips of dog skin are attached immediately below the top tāniko. Dog-hair awe (tassels), bound with muka are attached to the sides.

This kahu kurī may have been an ihupuni – a dog skin cloak with a white body and black borders – as there are remnants of dark hair left on the side dog skin strips.

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