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Overview
This cloak, decorated with shoots of the moss tetere whete (Polytrichum commune), is extremely rare. There is only one other so far identified in the world. It is held by the Museo di Antropologia e Etnologia in Florence. That cloak’s history is unknown, but it is thought to be associated with other taonga (treasures) in the museum that were collected during Cook’s third voyage to New Zealand in 1777. It is catalogued as a ‘seaweed cloak’.
This species of moss grows throughout New Zealand. The reason for its selection is not known. The time and care taken to process, dye and weave the material, and its relative rarity shows that this type of cloak was something special.
Weaver Maureen Lander comments: ‘The use of moss indicates that our tupuna (ancestors) cloak makers were willing to experiment with whatever they could find around them.’
Construction
The kaupapa (foundation) is of golden muka (flax fibre), weft twined in whatu aho rua (two-pair weft twining) technique. There are four whenu (warp threads) per centimetre, with 20 mm spacing between the aho (weft rows). The moss shoots have been dyed black and brown using traditional methods. The colours appear to alternate between black and brown. The shoots are attached every three to four whenu in every second aho row. There are three aho poka (shaping rows) in simple elliptical inserts.
Pokinikini (cylindrical strands of flax leaf) have been added to the borders and, along with undyed muka hukahuka (flax fibre tassels), create a fringe at the bottom edge. The neck edge has two rows of thick whatu aho pātahi (single pair weft twining) for ornamentation, followed by a three-ply braid finish knotted at the end. Red wool has been sewn over the top of the braid in a repeating diamond pattern. There are, however, large areas of wool loss.
This text is based on an excerpt from Whatu Kakahu|Maori Cloaks (second edition), edited by Awhina Tamarapa, © Te Papa Press 2019.