paera kia tu. Kia roa ano e paera ana kia pau nga kaha o te hinau. A me pehea e mohio ai kua pau te kaha o te hinau? Ka rite ai ki te ahua o te wai. He aha te ahua o te wai? Ahua pumangu. Ae hoa, he mea tauhou tena ki au. A ka mutu tera ka pehea ano? Ka waiho e koe kia matao—Ae—Ka poupou o piupiu ki roto ko nga harakeke ra ka karaha ne? Kaua e puru nga peha kua oti i a koe te mahi—Ae—Mau kia matao anake te wai, kaore kia pai te kohua ki roto i te wai wera?—Kao—Me wera anake te wai raka. Kia matao ke—Ae—A ka mutu to pou ki roto i taua wai pou ki roto i taua wairaka e horoi ngia ana ki te wai mahue iho. Kao—Ae—Whakameatia noatia kia kotahi te pou ki roto i te wai whinau. Aha. Ka tatia e koe ka whakanoi kia maroke rawa aua harakeke piupiu. Ka mutu katahi ka haria e koe ka poua e koe ki roto i te paru. Hei aha? He tino uaua koe ki tena mahi?—Ae—Ki aua nei ko te hinau anake kua mate. Taka haria ano ki roto te pango pehea te roa o te patu? Kotahi te po. A ka mutu tera ka pewhea? Ka tawhia e koe ka horoi e koe i roto i te wai rere kia tino ma rawa nga pahi. Tehea wahi e pai nga taru mo tenei mahi, pehea era takiwa? He ahua pakeke tera patai—A, kaore e ngaro i a koe te paru, me whawha e o ringaringa mehemea ka maenene he paruparu tera. Engari ko te ahua o taua paru, e mangu ano? Ae kaore te tino mangu rawa, he ahua puru nei etahi taema. Ae, Te kotahi te po ki reira ka mutu ka tango mai i roto i te paru ka hari ki te wairere kia ma nga paru ne?—Ae—Ka whakanoi ano kia maroke rano. Mea ake i te timatanga te mahi o te piupiu ake, me pehea ai tera wahi? Kua mutu katoa nga whakama ka whakawhatangia e koe ka whatungia e koe ko waho tuatahi. Ka whakamatangia he aha tera mea? Na ko te timata? A, pehea ai tau na mahi ka whakanui ngia e koe? E kite ana au hoki i roto i nga whakaahua nei kei tena taha. Pera tahi ano taua. Kia mutu te whakamata o te aho tuatahi ka whakamaarongia e koe whena e tau e kii mai? Whakamata he penei na? Tenei nga wahi? Ko waho e rarahi. Ka whakanui ai te kapou ra—Ae—Ka whakamaro ai e koe katahi koe ka mahi i te taniko o runga. Ehara ko te ahua piupiu ko ia tenei te tuturu piupiu? Nga mea taniko nei ano kua kitea hoki e au aua tu piupiu kaore he taniko heoi ano ko nga harakeke e tautau ana. Na ko a ia tena. Hiahia koe me whiri noa iho e koe—Ae—Hiahia me taniko. Engari ko toku whakaaro pai ke nga piupiu taniko a runga ko te take he u nga harakeke kaore e papahoro—Ae. Pehea te roa e mahi ai i tenei piupiu? E toru marama—Aue—Kati ma te tino tauira he toru marama tena, maku e toru tau pea! Ka oti ranei ka aha ranei i roto i te toru tau. Pera ka nui ra e koe ka oti! Na ko te aho tuatahi e kiia ana nga kaumatua ko te aho taniko tuatahi he aho tapu tera. Te taati koe to piupiu ka taati koe te aho tapu me noho rawa koe ki te mahi a, kia tutuki rano katahi koe ka matika. Mai o tenei pito? Tena pito—Ae—Engari ehara pea tenei na te aho tuatahi ne? Ko tera ra ke? 3. Scraping down the strips is done with a paua shell after the razor cuts are made. R: “The Maori colours are black, yellow, white and red. The predominating colour is black.” I: “How is the black produced?” R: “When the flax is dry you fetch some kowhai bark. You pound the bark and then put it into some container cover it with sufficient water and boil until the water becomes darkish in colour. Then leave the solution to cool.” I: “What next?” R: “Then you immerse the prepared flax into the kowhai solution. Then you hang the bundles of flax until they are dry. Then you dip the flax into some special mud and leave overnight. The next day—take the flax out and put into running water until thoroughly cleansed. Take great care that all the particles of mud have been removed from the flax when washed. Then you hang the flax once more to dry.” I: “What's the next stage?” R: “The next thing would be to plait the flax together and to make the taniko top. The taniko top, however, is not part of all the piupius for invariably they are made with but plain tops. The making of a piupiu as I have said entails much work and considerable time. 4. The upper end of the strip is entirely scraped down and the fibres used for the taniko border.