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THE Maori made their clothes
out of flax. When they came to New Zealand they brought with them the
knowledge of making cloth from the bark of the paper mulberry tree. The
climate of their new home, however, was too cold for the mulberry tree
to grow well, so they turned to dressed flax as a substitute.
This they wove into garments on a
sort of improvised loom.
Both the Maori man and
woman wore much the same sort of clothes.
Fashion therefore was of no account with them. Round his waist the Maori
wore a kilt secured by a belt. Over his shoulders he threw a
rectangular-shaped cape. Women and
girls sometimes added a kind of
apron round their waist. A
chaplet or headband kept in place feathers for dress occasions.
Sandals covered the feet only as a protection against the cold or when
walking over rough stony places.
Children, more favoured, did without any clothing until they were
about ten years old.
Men wore their hair long.
It was tied into, a knot on the top of the head and adorned with
feathers or with a comb of bone or
wood. Women, cut their hair short. Both sexes wore neck or ear
pendants of greenstone, human or shark’s teeth, and bunches of feathers.
Flat noses were considered handsome. A fond mother often pressed her
baby’s nose flat, thus doing what she could to improve its appearance.
 In 'New
Zealand Illustrated' G.F. Angas gave to the English-speaking world
much interesting information about the Maori. Published in 1847, his
book contains numerous colour plates from his own sketches. The
collection of 'Decorations,' for instance shows ear ornaments and ear
pendants, neck ornaments (hei tiki), the tall feather of the prized
huia bird, wooden combs, tattooing instraments, and examples of
designs on the boarders of flax garments.
This portrait of 'Tetoro Chief of New Zealand'
was drawn from life by R. Read in 1820, and was used by Captain R.A.
Cruise in 'Journal of Ten Months Residence in New Zealand.' Dr. T.M.
Hoken, the noted authority on New Zealand history, states that 'Tetoro'
was 'Titore' and that Captain Cruise was in military charge of H.M.S.
'Dromedary' whilst procuring kauri spars. It has been suggested that
Cruise's Journal was written by Lieut. McCrae, a young officer of the
'Dromedary.' Titore is wearing a typical Maori cloak.
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This sketch of a Maori woman's
facial tattooing is taken from H.G. Robley's 'Moko' (1896). Compare
this characteristic tattooing of a Maori woman's lips with the more
elaborate tattooing of the Maori man's face and body.
A scraper-board drawing of a
Maori woman at Ruatahuna (Urewera Country) weaving a flax mat. The
drawing was copied from a photograph in Augustus Hamilton's 'Maori
Art' (1901). The weaving is stretched between two upright sticks and
the woman works from left to right engaging the horizontal wefts with
the vertical warps solely by use of fingers. Maori weaving is not a
true textile weaving and hence does not use any form of loom.
William Hodges, artist of
Captain Cook's second voyage drew this flax plant in 1777. Flax (Phormium
tenax) was a valuable plant to Maori men and women, being used in a
variety of ways for clothing and ropes.
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