MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Daily Times, 1 May 1937, Page 4

MAORI MEMORIES

DYEING-. Apart from the region of the hot lakes, which to the Maori was a veritable “Promised Land/' boiling water was rt rarity. The only means by which it could be produced was to light a wood fire over a heap of stones each about the size of a football. When the stones were glowing red, they were dropped by means of wooden tongs (rakau rua) one at a time into a canoe half filled with water. The purpose of this was to cleanse and prepare the fine fibres of the Harakeke (flax), Toi (mountain palm), Ti (cabbage tree), or Kie kie (edible creeper) for making and dyeing their many kinds of mats for floors, shoulders, or the waists of Maori ladies. Mat weaving was believed to have been taught to an old Maori by the fairies of the bush (Haku Turi). Two other claimants to the honour of being the first mat-makers are Hine rau moa, and Hinganga roa. The pride of every bride was the weaving and dyeing of the beautiful basket for the coming first born, whether a son or daughter, of which they are said to haye had some secret premonition as exact as the modern egg testing. Dyeing their silky clothing, ceremonial cloths, women’s waist mats, men’s fighting shoulder mats, and the floor coverings was a secret process known only to the high priest (Ariki) by whom it was imparted in strict confidence to the most beautiful girl in the Ivainga as a special gift. Hinau bark gave jet black, Karamu yellow, Tutu a fine blue black, kokowai a red’ oclire was their nearest to red colour. Bark of the Tanekaha made a pink dye. A finely scented oil for softening and making clothes waterproof was pressed from ripe titoki berries. .