Queen Weaver
Maori weaver Diggeress Rangituatahi Te Kanawa (b1920) learnt her school from her mother Dame Rangimarie Hetet. Her skill in creating wharariki (mats) and korowai (cloaks) out of natural material such as flax fibre and feathers, has drawn international acclaim. She has been commissioned to make royal gifts and has written a book called Weaving a Kakahu. The feathers she uses in her creations are from all sorts of New Zealand birds but she is careful to use only those from plentiful species. She says preparation of the natural materials used in weaving is trying and tedious and a true test of patience and determination. In 1999 she was made companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to Maori arts and crafts. She has 12 children, and in the late 1970s she decided to make a cloak for each of them - an almost impossible task given that each takes thousands of hours. However she completed it in 1999. Digger, as she is known, has been credited with the resurgence in what was a dying art form
The Hetet family creativity is continued today in Wellington through the Maori Treasures Complex. This tribute to Maori art and craft is a culmination of the dreams and work of Rangi Hetet, his wife Erenora Puketapu-Hetet, their family and students. Maori Treasures has grown from a passion to maintain, develop and promote the Maori Art tradition which they have inherited from their Ancestors.
Name(s): Lillian Hetet-Owen
Phone: +64 4 939 9630
Fax: +64 4 939 9631
Email: info@maoritreasures.com
These topics may also be of interest to you
|
