MAORI ART AND HANDICRAFT

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 101, 24 January 1927, Page 10

MAORI ART AND HANDICRAFT

Probably no New Zealander has of late years exhibited a more practically useful interest in the furthering of sound hygiene among the Native race than Dr. Buck. The establishment of the recentlyformed Maori Arts and Crafts Board now affords scope for very promising activities by himself and his fellow-members of the board in a very different but nevertheless very useful direction. Ihis is in the initiation and furthering of new means of preserving and fostering the aboriginal arts and handicrafts. All who know the late Mr. Augustus Hamilton’s well-nigh exhaustive work on Maori Art will recognise the many and special directions in which Native design in this country could be applied to decorative purposes. Hitherto such design has been largely confined to Maori meeting-houses and other native' edifices. ft has been experimented with in our Parliamentary Buildings, and there is no good reason why it should not be given a wider and very practical scope by its utilisation in modern European buildings and decoration generally. Quite apart from the desirableness of our public buildings reflecting, to some extent at least, the existence of a purely native New Zealand design, aesthetic and purely artistic considerations are in favour of some of these fine designs being adopted by our New Zealand architects and decorators. Many English and Continental artists have of late years been greatly interested in and influenced by what at one time was held to be purely exotic design. Even in the rudest negro sculpture much useful artistic suggestion has been discovered and although in some cases the original design has been worked out with more consideration being paid to the bizarre than the beautiful the value of the primary suggestion has been widely recognised in art circles. Beautiful designs are evidenced in the native art of India, Malaya, Polynesia, Africa, and even of Australia, New Zealand aboriginal art has, however, little, if anything, to fear by any comparison with that of other regions. It can well hold its own for originality and grace. What is now needed is a wise adaptation of the best designs in native art to practical modern decoration. To this end much useful service can be rendered by the newly constituted board, and attention to this matter should be expected from the various art societies of the Dominion. Dr. Buck, we see, has alluded to the partial disappearance of many traditional Maori handicrafts, carving, plaiting, and so forth. The tendency of the younger Natives to adapt themselves, their customs, and their amusements to Western ideas, is no doubt highly commendable. But, as the Doctor points out, there is now a marked paucity of handicraft work of the old kind, a paucity due perhaps as much to the lack of competent instruction as to any desire to follow European leads in such industry. It is the laudable aim of the board to increase popular interest among the Natives in the handicrafts practised by their forefathers. To this end the contemplated establishment of some school of Maori design and instruction in the ancient handicrafts will, we hope, substantially contribute. In Honolulu, under the auspices of the Bishop Trust, something has already been done to encourage the adapting of ancient Sandwich Island designs to modern uses, and in British Columbia some similar movement is, we believe, on foot. Wisely directed and kept in practically useful channels the new organisation for the revival and encouragement of Maori design and craftsmanship should exercise a beneficient effect in mpre ways than one, and the future and actual result of the board’s activities will be watched with no small interest.