Whatu Kakahu

Whatu Kakahu is a celebration of the science and art of Maori weaving, focused on the largest collection of Maori cloaks in the world. Weaving is more than just a product of manual skills. From the simple rourou (food basket) to the prestigious kahukiwi (kiwi feather cloak), weaving is endowed with the very essence of the spiritual values of Maori people.

This award-winning book opens the storeroom doors of the Te Papa Tongarewa Maori collections, illuminating the magnificent kakahu in those collections and the art and tradition of weaving itself. More than fifty rare and precious kakahu are featured within this book, with glossy colour detail illustrations of each, plus historical and contextual images and graphic diagrams of weaving techniques.

These are accompanied by engaging descriptions that bring together information on every cloak—its age, materials, and weaving technique—with quotes from master weavers and other experts, stories of the cloaks, details of their often remarkable provenance, discussion of how the craft is being revived, and issues concerning cloaks held in international museums.

A full glossary, an illustrated guide to cloak types, and an index are included. Contemporary cloaks made with novel materials also feature.