19-458: Muka is prepared fibre of New Zealand flax ( Māori : harakeke ). Prepared primarily by scraping, pounding and washing, it is a key material in Māori traditional textiles where it is usually used in tāniko or twined weaving. Some varieties produce different grades or quality of muka that result in characteristics such as strength, whiteness or shine. In pre-European times, muka was widely used by
38-425: A focal point in mixed plantings or at the edge of a lawn. They are easy to grow in a sunny spot, especially in coastal areas with some protection in winter, but require reliably moist soil. They are frequently found in garden centres amongst plants with a similar appearance, notably Yucca and Cordyline . However, these are very different plants with different requirements. P. tenax and some cultivars can grow to
57-492: A substantial size - 4 m (13 ft) tall by 2 m (7 ft) broad. More recently several cultivars have been selected as decorative garden plants, including: Those marked agm have gained the Royal Horticultural Society 's Award of Garden Merit . Kete (basket) Kete are traditional baskets made and used by New Zealand 's Māori people . They are traditionally woven from
76-704: A variety of things, including food. Specialized kete were woven for each item that needed storage, resulting in dozens of specialized styles. Very small kete also exist, and can be used as gift containers. Traditionally, kete were given away following their completion. Kete have also been used to bury placenta following a birth or miscarried fetuses following a miscarriage . Kete whakairo are often used solely for decoration, often on walls. Kete were traditionally woven by women, with specific skills and techniques being passed down within families and closely guarded from outsiders. Following colonisation , kete and other traditional textiles became less popular due to
95-473: Is an evergreen perennial plant native to New Zealand and Norfolk Island that is an important fibre plant and a popular ornamental plant. The plant grows as a clump of long, straplike leaves, up to two metres long, from which arises a much taller flowering shoot, with dramatic yellow or red flowers. The fibre has been widely used since the arrival of Māori to New Zealand, originally in Māori traditional textiles and also in rope and sail making after
114-592: Is used in tāniko (weaving) of soft, durable fabric for clothing. Flax is also used as a decorative and structural element in tukutuku , panelling found within Mãori wharenui (meeting houses). Prior to the Great Depression of the 1930s, which decimated flax as an industry, there were two serious attempts by Europeans to breed for fibre. The first was by Wellington -based Leonard Cockayne about 1908. The second by Massey -based John Stuart Yeates in
133-573: The Māori and was the primary fibre used for weaving clothing. Patu muka or pounding stones were a distinct tool type. In the early colonial period, muka was a trade staple, often being traded for muskets with devastating effects. Well into the European era it was used for paper, clothing and sacking, with large commercial workings in Foxton and elsewhere. Since the Māori renaissance the resurgence in traditional Māori weaving has seen up-swing in
152-526: The hapine technique, where a knife or shell is run across the fibre to remove moisture without breaking the surface layers. Phormium tenax had many uses in traditional Māori society. It was the main material used for weaving, adopted after aute ( paper mulberry ), the traditional tree used to create fabric in Polynesia , did not thrive in New Zealand's "Scientific Plant Breeding" climate. Many of
171-420: The para or the waterproof epidermis of the plant is kept intact), or processed so only the muka remains, for close-weave objects. The broad length of harakeke leaves allow weavers to create a variety of strip lengths, making the plant suitable for a range of objects and sizes. In pre-European society, Māori had specific plantations of flax, which was their most important textile. It was prepared by cutting
190-582: The second voyage of James Cook . The hara in the Māori name harakeke is a remnant of the Austronesian root *paŋudaN (via Proto-Oceanic *padran ) surviving in related languages referring to pandanus plants with similar characteristics of sheathing leaves also used for weaving (like Pandanus tectorius , also known as hala in Hawaiian ), as New Zealand was one of the only places where pandanus
209-562: The arrival of Europeans until at least WWII. It is an invasive species in some of the Pacific Islands and in Australia. The blades of the plant contain cucurbitacins , which are poisonous to some animals, and some of them are among the bitterest tastes to humans. Phormium tenax J.R.Forst & G.Forst was described in 1776 by Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster , who were the father and son team of German botanists on
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#1732790279253228-468: The god Tāne collects the stars of the Milky Way in a kete for Ranginui . In another, he receives three kete of knowledge when he climbs to the highest heaven: a kete of light, a kete of darkness, and a kete of pursuit. These kete were then passed on to the Māori people. Kete have been used as symbols of Māori culture in a variety of situations, from Kiwiana to kitchen implements. A kete emoji
247-549: The green leaves close to the base before the leaves were split and woven. Various preparations of the leaves allowed the material to be used both as a hardy flat thick-woven material (as in kete and mats) and also as a fibrous twine, used for creating both rope and finely woven cloaks. Harakeke can be boiled with hot stones to bleach strips, however dying the fibre is difficult due to the water resistant para . However, harakeke can by dyed using paru , or an iron-rich mud. Harakeke can be made more flexible with less shrinkage using
266-479: The introduction of manufactured containers. However, the practice of weaving kete did not fully die out and has become revitalized in the 20th and 21st centuries. Kete have experienced a resurgence in New Zealand in recent years, being touted by weavers as a more sustainable option to plastic bags . In addition to their practical uses, kete also "represent a container of knowledge and wisdom". Kete appear in Māori tradition and folklore. For example, in one story
285-608: The late 1920s. More recently research led by Xiaowen Yuan at Massey University has investigated the use of novel composite materials made from flax fibre to improve supercapacitor performance. New Zealand Flax was cultivated on Saint Helena from the late 1800s to around 1966 for the production of string and rope and for export. Today the plants remain but the industry has stopped; they are considered an ecological problem. In recent times, P. tenax and its cousin P. colensoi have been widely cultivated as ornamental garden plants, their striking fans of pointed leaves providing
304-527: The leaves of New Zealand flax called harakeke and have two handles at the top. Other materials are sometimes used, including sedge grass or the leaves of the nikau palm and cabbage tree . Modern designs may also use dyed materials. Some kete, known as kete whakairo , or "patterned bag", feature intricate geometric patterns, while more everyday baskets are known as kete mahi or simply kete. Kete may be of many sizes but are most often found in sizes similar to large handbags. They can be used to carry
323-399: The traditional uses have largely fallen into disuse, though there is an upswing in the use of traditional materials in modern Māori art and craft. The two most common forms for flax in traditional craft are the use of stripped, dried leaves as broad bands, such as in the weaving of kete (flax baskets), and the scraping, pounding, and washing of the leaves to create a fibre — muka — which
342-481: The use of muka, especially for art and high-end craft items. Usually woven muka is distinguished from woven (unprepared) flax which is only suitable for coarse work such as bags ( kete ) and panels. Phormium tenax Phormium tenax (called flax in New Zealand English ; harakeke in Māori ; New Zealand flax outside New Zealand; and New Zealand hemp in historical nautical contexts)
361-497: Was not available. The jumping spider Trite planiceps lives predominantly in the rolled-up leaves of this species. Phormium tenax is a coastal cover plant associated with significant habitat such as the breeding habitat for the endangered yellow-eyed penguin . New Zealand flax was one of the most commonly used fibres for weaving prior to European contact in New Zealand, due to its wide availability and long strands. Harakeke can be woven raw to create open-weave items (where
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