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The Coming of the Maori

Other Plaited Material

Other Plaited Material

Many other useful objects were made from flax by plaiting. On the East Coast, wide plaited bands (paepae umu) of green flax were made to place around the circumference of the oven to keep food from straggling over the edge. On the West Coast, oven bands were made of bundles of narrow flax strips plaited into a thick three-ply braid. Rectangular firepage 156fans (piupiu ahi) were plaited for fanning the fire, but fans for fanning the face were never made. Formerly, warriors wore belts (tatua) which were plaited wide enough to be doubled along their length. Sandals (paraerae) were plaited with flax and plaited carriers (kawe) resembling swag straps were made to carry burdens on the back. Triangular sails (ra, mamaru) were formerly made for ocean-going canoes and a good specimen has been preserved in the British Museum. These various articles have been described by me at greater length elsewhere (90, p. 344).