Technique of Net-Making, ta kupenga.

A net is a kupenga, and the process of netting ta kupenga. A netting needle is not used.

Mesh gauges, kauta, were made of iron wood, and were of different widths for different sizes of mesh.

The cord was wound into very large balls. For commencing a net, a smaller ball was wound on the continuous cord from a large ball. The commencing meshes are set up on a suspensory cord stretched horizontally between two supports. For smaller nets the suspensory cord may be looped over the two great toes. See Fig. 242.

To set up the first row of meshes an assistant is required. The smaller ball of cord must contain a sufficient length to form the upper half of each mesh in the first row. The netting cord is passed over the suspensory cord (S S in Fig. 237), the part A being towards the smaller ball held by the assistant, and B towards the large ball. Whilst the assistant holds the cord taut, the netter places the net gauge, G, across the cord B, at about its own width below the suspensory cord, Fig. 237 (1).

Figure 237.
Technique of the Net Mesh.

The cord B is brought up over the gauge and a loop of it, X, taken under the suspensory cord SS, and over the cord A, Fig 237 (2). The loop X is drawn completely over A, which is pulled down in a loop on to the upper edge of the gauge the assistant yielding just enough to allow this to be done, and all the while keeping A taut, Fig. 237 (3). The loop X is drawn out sufficiently to admit the passage of the large ball at the end of the cord B. The right hand page 282is passed up through the loop X and turned over to the right, so that the left side of the loop X crosses over to form the right side, Fig 237 (4). This last movement has turned the fingers downwards. They simply grasp the ball B and bring it up through the crossed loop X, as in Fig. 237 (5). The cord B is drawn taut and the loop X closed, Fig. 237 (6).

The above movements form the first part of the netting knot. The left hand holds the gauge with the forefinger behind and the thumb over the crossing of the loops to the front of the upper edge of the gauge. A loop of B is pulled upwards under the cord A, when the first part of the knot is somewhat simplified, Fig. 238 (1). The loop of B which is marked Y is pulled down over the loop made by A, Fig. 238 (2). The first part of the netting knot on the left of the figure is seen to have resolved itself into a simple half-hitch.

Figure 238.
Netting Knot, second part.

The loop Y is drawn out to admit of the passage of the large ball on B and thus prepare the way for the second part of the netting knot. The right hand is passed directly down through the loop Y, seizes the large ball. B, and brings it up through the loop, Y, Fig. 238 (3). The cord B is drawn taut and the netting knot completed, Fig. 238 (4). This also completes the first mesh.

For the second mesh the cord B is brought down behind the gauge and doubled up round its lower edge to pass over its anterior surface. This forms the lower part of page 283the mesh, and is similar throughout. The method of bringing down the upper part of the mesh from the cord A differs alternately. Reference to Fig. 237 (1) and (2) shows that the cord A passes in front of the suspensory cord, SS, and that the loop X from B had to pass behind SS in order to loop the cord A over the suspensory cord SS. Now, however, as a result of the last netting knot, the cord A is behind the suspensory cord SS. The loop X must therefore pass in front of SS, Fig. 239 (1).

Figure 239.
Formation of second mesh.

The loop X is passed over A above the suspensory cord SS and pulls A down on the front of SS as far as the upper edge of the mesh gauge to form the upper half of the mesh, Fig 239 (2). From here the procedure of tying the knot is exactly the same as shown in the two previous figures. The loop X is in the same position as in Fig. 237 (3).

When the second mesh is knotted the cord A is in front of the suspensory cord SS, so the loop X for the third mesh must pass behind the suspensory cord as in the case of the first mesh, Fig. 240.

Figure 240.
Commencement of third mesh.

The completion of the third mesh will leave the cord A behind the suspensory cord. Thus the pulling down loop X passes alternately on the opposite side of the suspensory page 284cord to that on which the cord A passes. Always the end of the loop X passes over the front of the cord A before pulling it down to the mesh gauge.

The meshes are counted along the suspensory cord until the required number is reached. For the hand nets the number may be sixty or more. The meshes (mata) are counted in twenties. Thus sixty meshes in a row is termed mata toru. This literally means three meshes, but idiomatically means three twenties. Similarly mata rima means five twenties, a hundred meshes to a row.

When the sixty meshes are set up on the supporting cord, the assistant and the cord A, with its smaller ball, are no longer required. The cord A is cut off at the sixtieth knot. The netter can only work from left to right. To commence the second row of meshes, he either twists the suspensory cord to place the last mesh on the left, or works back on the other side of the suspensory cord.

The mesh gauge is placed in position so that the upper edge corresponds with the lower point of the last loop, 60. The netting cord, B, is brought round the back of the gauge, up over the bottom edge, and a loop X passed through the last mesh, Fig. 241. The loop X is enlarged to admit the

Figure 241.
Commencement of second row of meshes

passage of the ball B and the netting knot made as already described. From now on the procedure is simple, as the upper part of the meshes, which had to be formed by pulling down a loop from A, is already formed by the lower loops of the meshes in the row above.

A second row of 60 is made and the work again turned. The third row is commenced from the left, as in the case of the second. Thus the succeeding rows are added until the required depth of the net is reached. See Fig. 242, page 285

Figure 242.
Making net with gauge but no netting needle.

where the stage in tying the knot is that shown in Fig. 237 (4).

Shaping the net. Bag nets are usually shaped so that the bottom is a little narrower than the top. This result was obtained by adhering to the same number of meshes throughout in each row, but reducing the size of the meshes by using smaller mesh gauges. The method of introducing extra meshes to increase the width of the rows was not used.

Joining the cord. From the large size of the balls of cord used, the joining on of fresh cords was considerably fewer than in English nets. The commencement of a fresh ball was joined at the last knot of the shortening cord, Fig. 243. Here B represents the end of the old cord. Before

Figure 243.
Joining new cord in netting.

page 286 the second part of the netting knot is drawn taut the end of the new cord, A, is pushed up between the two parts of the knot, as in the Fig. 243A. The end B is pulled taut, and then knotted with a simple overhand to prevent its slipping back. The end A is then knotted with an overhand knot and pulled down.

Joining the ends, kapiti. In making a bag net, the ends have to be joined together when the net has been made deep enough. The two ends are brought together as in Fig. 244. From the figure, it is obvious that the netting knot

Figure 244.
Joining the ends of a bag net.

on one side is opposite the unknotted side of a mesh on the other. The knotting cord B has finished on the last knot, X. It is looped to the same level as the loop of the last row of meshes and then tied to the side of the opposite mesh at Y. From there it re-crosses to the next mesh at Z, and so continues upwards from side to side along the course indicated by the dotted line. It finally ends at the first knot, A, and thus closes the two ends, after adding a vertical row of full-sized meshes.

Closing the bottom. The closure of the bottom is somewhat similar to that of the ends, Fig. 245. Here, for the sake of space, the net is shown with only 16 meshes, instead

Figure 245.
Closing the bottom of a bag net.

page 287 of 60 or more. Commencing on the left, a cord is tied to the free loop of a mesh, 1, and then tied to the free loop of the next mesh on the right, 2. From there it goes alternately from side to side, as shown by the dotted line, each knot completing a full-sized mesh. It finishes on the mesh 9 by completely closing the bottom. It will be seen that the first mesh made, A, and the last, Z, are three-sided.

Seine net. For a seine net, ahoroa, the meshes for the full depth at one end are set up. The netter keeps adding rows of the same number of meshes until the full length is reached, Fig. 246.

Figure 246.
Making seine net.