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Making New Zealand vol 01 no 02: The Maori
Men and Women Dressed Alike and Wove their Garments from Flax
Men and Women Dressed Alike and Wove their Garments from Flax
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This sketch of a Maori woman's tattooing is taken from H. G. Robley's 'Moko' (1896). Compare this characteristic tattooing of a Maori woman's lips with the more elaborate tattooing of the Maori man's face and body.
The Maori made their clothes out of flax. When they came to New Zealand they brought with them the knowledge of making cloth from the bark of the paper mulberry tree. The climate of their new home, however, was too cold for the mulberry tree to grow well, so they turned to dressed flax as a substitute. This they wove into garments on a sort of improvised loom.
Both the Maori man and woman wore much the same sort of clothes. Fashion therefore was of no account with them. Round his waist the Maori wore a kilt secured by a belt. Over his shoulders he threw a rectangular-shaped cape. Women and girls sometimes added a kind of apron round their waist. A chaplet or headband kept in place feathers for dress occasions. Sandals covered the feet only as a protection against the cold or when walking over rough stony places. Children, more favoured, did without any clothing until they were about ten years old.
Men wore their hair long. It was tied into a knot on the top of the head and adorned with feathers or with a comb of bone or wood. Women cut their hair short. Both sexes wore neck or ear pendants of greenstone, human or shark's teeth, and bunches of feathers. Flat noses were considered handsome. A fond mother often pressed her baby's nose flat, thus doing what she could to improve its appearance.
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A scraper-board drawing of a Maori woman at Ruatahuna (Urewera Country) weaving a flax mat. The drawing was copied from a photograph in Augustus Hamilton's 'Maori Art' (1901). The weaving is stretched between two upright sticks and the woman works from left to right engaging the horizontal wefts with the vertical warps solely by use of the fingers. Maori weaving is not a true textile weaving and hence does not use any form of loom.
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William Hodges, artist of Captain Cook's second voyage, drew this flax plant in 1777. Flax (Phormium tenax) was a valuable plant to Maori men and women, being used in a variety of ways for clothing and ropes.
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This portrait of 'Tetoro, Chief of New Zealand' was drawn from life by R. Read in 1820, and was used by Captain R. A. Cruise in 'Journal of a Ten Months' Residence in New Zealand.' Dr. T. M. Hocken, the noted authority on New Zealand history, states that 'Tetoro' was 'Titore' and that Captain Cruise was in military charge of H.M.S. 'Dromedary' whilst procuring kauri spars. It has been suggested that Cruise's Journal was written by Lieut. McCrae, a young officer of the 'Dromedary.' Titore is wearing a typical Maori cloak.
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In 'The New Zealanders Illustated' G. F. Angas gave the the English-speaking world much interesting information about the Maori. Published in 1847, his book contained numerous colour plates from his own sketches. The collection of 'Decorations,' for instance, shows ear ornaments and ear pendants, neck ornaments (hei tiki), the tail feather and head of the prized huia bird, wooden combs, tattooing instruments, and examples of designs on the bottom borders of flax garments. The little boy ornaments the pictures only.