Kete Kumara

We went to Longlonds round about on the 20th June to pick us some Harakeke for our assesment Kete Kumara that was taking place the next day. After we had cut all the leaves that we needed we headed off back to school where we prepared our strips for the next day, we stripped and softened all of our strips plus extras for our Kete Kumara, We set the strips we prepared aside so that when it comes to weaving our Kete our strips were well prepared. The next day arrived, we all set of in our own groups in the hall where our 1 Day asssesment took place. Everyone was enjoying themselves some were ahead of others and some were behind but we all managed to complete our Kete Kumara by the end of the day.

1. We cut 30 leaves.
2. We stripped out 2 strips out of each leaves, making

Next assesment

Week 5: Exam week

4 credits: Kete whiri (4 corners)

4 credits: Muka handles

2 days

(1) Cut, strip, muka

(2)weave, attach handles

GLOSSARY

Aho- (noun) weft, woof – cross-threads of weaving or a mat.
Ara- (noun) line of weaving.
muka- Prepared white flax fibre
para- The waxy extract/ refuse rubbish, waste.
korari- flower stem from the harakeke plant.
karakia- a prayer.
putake- Butt end of the flax.
whakapapa- to place in layers, lay one upon another, stack flat.
kuku- mussel shell.
korowai- Feather coat.
Harakeke-  (noun) flax bush, generations – sometimes used as a metaphor to represent the whānau and the gene pools inherited by children from their two parents and the passing of attributes down the generations.
Raranga- Means weaving/to weave.
Whatu- Finger/fibre weaving with fingers.
Haro- (verb) (-a) to scrape clean, scrape – used especially with scraping flax for muka.
Hapine- to scrap flax.
Rau-
Rito-centre shoot, young centre leaf of the harakeke, new harakeke shoot.
Awhi rito
kete-(noun) basket, kit
maripi-(verb) (-tia) to make a cutting movement
konae-(noun) small basket woven from flax.
tapiki-(verb) (-tia) to lock off, turn in the strands of a piece of weaving. Doubled-over, over lapping.
takitahi-(modifier) singly, solo, individual.
whenu-(noun) strand (of a cord), warp – lengthwise threads of a woven flax garment.
whiri-. (verb) (-a,-hia,-ngia) to twist, plait (a rope, etc.), weave, spin. to fold hands, curl up.

BAD CUTTING

This photo is a good example of very bad cutting,  This picture is showing that whoever cut this bush they didnt cut as low as they could, they didnt cut vertically down they also cut the (Awhi rito) the parents.

 

TYPES OF PA HARAKEKE

Ruawai

Botanical name:  Phormium tenax cultivar

Description: Flax cultivar. Tall, rather bendy leaves. Bright, light blue green blades. Silver blue powdery undersides. Black margin and keel. Orange keel and black margin on young leafs. Silver purple shadings at base of plant similar to cultivar Kõhunga. A cultivar grown widly on the East side.

(USED FOR MUKA)

 

Tapoto

Botanical name: Phorium tenax cultivar

Description: Flax cultivar. A real ‘Tihore’ flax and one of the favourites in Hawkes Bay Mãori. Once prevelant where Havelock North now stands. Srtong, straight, short narrow blades tapering to a sharp point. Pale yellow green leaves with bright orange keel and margin. Very fine, Tall flower stalks. Similar to Tariki. But a smaller version.

 

PA HARAKEKE ITI

Our very own Pa harakeke iti have been planted by the horticultral girls, FINALLY! We will need to look after these babies like they are our own. There are 2 of each, Ruawai, Tapoto, Potaka, Taeore and Takirikau.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR WHIRI ENDS

Traditional method

1. Take the spine out pull until it resists
2. Pull down a strip closest to the spine
3. Fold the strip onto itself – dull side to dull side
4. Place the front part of your palm (thumb) thenar onto the creases
5. Place the butt under your arm
6. Grip the strip with your other hand
7. Grip firmly and pull at the same time
8. Follow through with the grip and pull

Modern method

1. Prepare strip- cut it out
2. On the dull side make a cut part of the way through 10cm from butt\thick end
3. With a butter knife soften on the shiny side of the cut to peel of the “Para”(wax)
4. Comb out the whiri

TE WHARE PORA & HINE TE IWAIWA

The Art of the Whare Pora: Notes on the Clothing of the Ancient Maori, their Knowledge of preparing, dyeing, and weaving Various Fibres, together with some Account of Dress and Ornaments, and the Ancient Ceremonies and Superstitions of the Whare Pora.

The Whare Pora.—This was the house specially set aside for teaching the art of weaving in its various branches, and in it were performed the ceremonies connected with the installation and teaching of the tauira, or students.

It will thus be observed that the above houses were schools for the teaching of various subjects; but they were also something more, for the various labours, rites, &c., pertaining to such subjects were continually carried on in these ancient colleges by the elder members of the tribe.

There are other whare of a special nature, and which are often mentioned in the unwritten archives of Tuhoe Land, but they were not schools in any sense. The whare potae, or whare taua, was the house of mourning, but in many cases the term was merely a figurative one, and used much as we use it. An expression of a still less literal nature is “te whare o te riri “—i.e., “the house of war.” The whare kahu was a rude hut, often specially constructed for the purpose, occupied by women during confinement. When the infant was about two nights old, mother and child were transferred to the whare kohanga, or nest house. But to return to the whare pora.

TRIP TO PAHARAKEKE

On Friday the 16th of June, our Stepping Stones class went out for the day to Te Aranga marae for a weaving hui. We all set off in the school vans and we were on our way to our first stop. We stopped into Longlands round about Paharakeke(a plantation of flax) and there were the different types, that we were going to harvest.

We went around and looked at all the different weaving types of flax that we would weave with. Miss Brightwell did a Karakia (Prayer), for the class so that we could go and harvest our own flax for the first time. We had to take with us, a Stanley knife, we all had to decide what we wanted to make before we chose which flax bush we were cutting from. I liked the pointy straight leaves from Tapoto. But they were too thick and better for extracting muka.

There were all sorts of Harakeke around, different sizes, colours, some were big some were standing straight some were bendy. For the thing I wanted to make I needed bendy flax the soft type of flax for the kete I was making.

I found a kete bush and start to search through it to find the grandparents (awhirito). I used the Stanley knife to harvest the flax I wanted, I cut the flax on a straight downward angle. I cut 20 flax leaves for my kete. I learnt something new while harvesting flax, to always cut off some of the old flax that’s on the bush so you are giving back to the flax being respectful and following Maori Tikanga (protocol).

 

Karakia timatanga

                        Harakeke Karakia

Traditional prayer (karakia) for flax

Te Harakeke, Te Korari

Flax

Nga taonga whakarere iho

the treasure passed down to us

O te rangi. O te whenua. O nga Tupuna

by the sky the land the ancestors

Homai he oranga mo matou

gives us health

Tihei mauri ora

for our life force

Putiputi

STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 4

STEP 5

STEP 6

STEP 8

STEP 9

Instructions on making Putiputi

1. Take the spine off.

2. Take the coloured edge off.

3. Split each side of the leaf into two, until it resist.

4. Soften the flax, the shiny side down towards the butter knife.

5. Split both flaxs into 4, having 8 in the end.

6. One up, one down continue this pattern until all flax are up and down.

7. The first flax fold it across all other flax then lift up all the flax that are down then repeat steps.

MAU RINGA

1. Remove spine and colored edge of flax
2. Split flax down the middle until it resist then cut the 2 strips.
3. Soften the two strips of flax, Measure one around your wrist and then peg in place, Keep the other strip free cause you are going to need it for your strips.
4. Split the remaining flax that is sticking out from the flax you measured around your wrist, then split the 2 pieces you just split again and now you should be left with 4 little strands.
5. Now with the strand you have left over split into 4 even strips, these will be the pieces you add in while your weaving.
6. Start the weaving process where you placed the peg, Fold one up, one down etc, Then add a strand over the strips you just folded down, left the strips that are facing down over the strand you just slipprd in.
7. Repeat steps 🙂