Maori Cloak (kaitaka)
19th century. New Zealand. Donated by R.S. Newall, MAA 1978.8
A small kaitaka, possibly made for a high-born child. The aho (cross-threads) are twined in pairs, invoking the wearer’s aho tipuna (ancestral lineages). To weave is also to trace ancestry, as the language of kinship is incorporated into the language and practice of weaving.
