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The Material Culture of the Cook Islands (Aitutaki)

Fixation of Coloured Wefts

Fixation of Coloured Wefts.

On the mat side of the band, the coloured sinistrals are fixed by the first row of dextrals that have been split to half the width of the body wefts. The band plaiting commences on the left, and the commencement in a koviri mat with a twisted side edge is shown in Fig. 109. In Fig. 116A, the first band dextral, 1, crosses the first band sinistral, a. The second dextral. 2, is turned back and the second sinistral, b, is placed in position. On the second sinistral, the coloured element is laid. Fig. 116B.

Figure 116.Fixation of coloured elements.

Figure 116.
Fixation of coloured elements.

The second dextral, 2, is crossed over the second sinistral and fixes the end of the coloured weft. Fig. 116C. At the same time, the first sinistral, a, has to be turned in with a half turn to carry on the line of the left edge. To comply with the check technique it is passed over the second sinistral, and functions as a dextral, 3. The check technique now demands that the dextral. 1, be turned back, and as we are moving a stroke to the right, another dextral, 4, is picked up from below. Thus in Fig. 116D, the dextrals 3 and 2 are recumbent and 1 and 4 raised. The next sinistral, c, is placed in position. The black coloured. page 135element which is long has to be returned on the new sinistral. It is therefore turned over the upper edge of the last crossing weft, 3, with a half turn that exposes its under surface, which is not coloured. It is brought horizontally across to the new sinistral, C, and another half turn made to expose the coloured surface and bring it into line with the course of the sinistral on which it lies. The raised dextrals, 1 and 4, are now brought across to complete the movement, and we have Fig. 116E. The recumbent dextrals, 3 and 2, which should have been simultaneously raised, are left down to show the course of the coloured weft. Also, the last sinistral, b, which has reached the side edge, is turned in to function as the dextral, 5. Thus the coloured weft is carried up on one sinistral and down on the next. Its course gradually lengthens until the full depth of the band is reached. On the mat (the side edge and the far edge margins) it is doubled back by the double twist described. When it shortens, the short end is left out at one of the margins and a new strip added on the next sinistral.