Pākē (cloak)

This pākē, or rain cape, was woven by the late Dawn Schuster-Smith during Ngā Here o Te Ao, a popular cloak weaving event on Rongomaraeroa, Te Papa's Marae between March 11-19 in the year 2000. Ngā Here o Te Ao was organised by Roma Pōtiki as part of the Wellingotn Arts Festival in 2000. This event drew record numbers - estimated at over 50,000 people - and saw thirteen senior weavers demonstrating cloak weaving and exhibiting their work on the Marae.

Dawn Schuster Smith (1954-2001) was the daughter of renowned weaver Emily Schuster, and twin to Edna Pahewa, also a well known weaver. Edna is the head of weaving at Te Puia, formerly the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, Rotorua, of which their mother Emily was the founding tutor for the school of weaving for many years. Dawn took this role when her mother died.

Interview
Awhina Tamarapa interviewed Dawn Schuster in a telephone conversation 2 April 2001:

What was the purpose of weaving this pākē?
Dawn originally wove a pākē for her son, who performs in a kapa haka (cultural performance) group and asked for one. She decided to make another one for the Ngā Here o te Ao event at Te Papa, as she enjoys the creative process involved in weaving with harakeke.

What can you tell me about the materials and the techniques involved in weaving this garment?
The techniques are similar to that of making a piupiu (flax skirt) which was Dawn's speciality, although she enjoys all aspects of weaving.

What is important to her as a weaver?
"My main inspiration is from traditional weaving".
Dawn particularly likes being able to be creative in her weaving, although she believes strongly in having a traditional base to work from.


Construction
Aspects of this garment's construction is like a traditional pākē, a type of raincape that has whenu (warp threads) formed from the fibrous parts of the outer tags or thatching. The piupiu-like hukahuka or tags, are strips of harakeke processed and dried, to curl naturally into hard, cylindrical tubes. The fibrous extension of the hukahuka has been scraped with a mussel shell to expose the inner flax fibre called muka. This part of the hukahuka forms the vertical whenu (warp threads).

The kaupapa whenu is formed from the muka part of the hukahuka strands, which have been miro (rolled) into coarse, strong 2 ply lengths. The aho (weft threads) are also rolled 2 ply lengths, and rows are then completed in whatu aho rua (two-pair weft twining) technique. The result is a very strong foundation of latticework, necessary to cope with the weight of the garment and compliments the six layers of long lengths of natural undyed cylindrical hukahuka approximately 18 centimetres long. The purpose of the lengths is to swing when worn so the clattering can be heard. There are two hukahuka placed per whatu (weft stroke). The top is finished in three rows with the ends of the whenu cut to create a tufted row of interest.

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