Taniko
Encyclopedia
Tāniko is a traditional weaving technique
of the Māori of New Zealand
related to "twining". It may also refer to the resulting bands of weaving, or to the traditional designs.
The Tāniko technique does not require a loom, although one can be used. Traditionally free hanging warps were suspended between two weaving pegs and the process involved twining downward. The traditional weaving material is "muka
", fibre prepared from the New Zealand flax
(Phormium tenax) by scrapping, pounding and washing. The muka
fibre was dyed using natural dye
s.
There has been a resurgence of tāniko and other Māori cultural
practices starting in the 1950s and as part of the broader Māori Renaissance
. This has lead tāniko practitioners Diggeress Te Kanawa
and her mother Dame Rangimarie Hetet receiving honorary doctorates from the University of Waikato
.
Maori traditional textiles
Māori traditional textiles are the indigenous textiles of the Māori people of New Zealand. The organisation Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa, the national Māori weavers’ collective aims to preserve and foster the skills of making and using these materials....
of the Māori of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
related to "twining". It may also refer to the resulting bands of weaving, or to the traditional designs.
The Tāniko technique does not require a loom, although one can be used. Traditionally free hanging warps were suspended between two weaving pegs and the process involved twining downward. The traditional weaving material is "muka
Muka
Muka is prepared fibre of New Zealand flax . Prepared primarily by scrapping, pounding and washing, it is a key material in Māori traditional textiles where is is usually used in tāniko or twined weaving, as in the figure right....
", fibre prepared from the New Zealand flax
New Zealand flax
New Zealand flax describes common New Zealand perennial plants Phormium tenax and Phormium cookianum, known by the Māori names harakeke and wharariki respectively...
(Phormium tenax) by scrapping, pounding and washing. The muka
Muka
Muka is prepared fibre of New Zealand flax . Prepared primarily by scrapping, pounding and washing, it is a key material in Māori traditional textiles where is is usually used in tāniko or twined weaving, as in the figure right....
fibre was dyed using natural dye
Natural dye
Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of natural dyes are vegetable dyes from plant sources – roots, berries, bark, leaves, and wood — and other organic sources such as fungi and lichens....
s.
There has been a resurgence of tāniko and other Māori cultural
Maori culture
Māori culture is the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, an Eastern Polynesian people, and forms a distinctive part of New Zealand culture. Within the Māori community, and to a lesser extent throughout New Zealand as a whole, the word Māoritanga is often used as an approximate synonym for Māori...
practices starting in the 1950s and as part of the broader Māori Renaissance
Maori Renaissance
The term Māori Renaissance refers to the revival in fortunes of the Māori of New Zealand in the latter half of the twentieth century. During this period, the perception of Māori went from being that of a dying race to being politically, culturally artistically and artistically ascendant.The...
. This has lead tāniko practitioners Diggeress Te Kanawa
Diggeress Te Kanawa
Diggeress Rangituatahi Te Kanawa was a New Zealand Māori tohunga raranga . Of Ngati Maniapoto and Ngati Kinohaku descent, she was was given her unusual forename to honour the World War I diggers after her father served in the Māori Battalion...
and her mother Dame Rangimarie Hetet receiving honorary doctorates from the University of Waikato
University of Waikato
The University of Waikato is located in Hamilton and Tauranga, New Zealand, and was established in 1964. It has strengths across a broad range of subject areas, particularly its degrees in Computer Science and in Management...
.