Best. — Clothing of the Ancient Maori. 655 



above. The kopiirii and tarata gum were used in a like 

 manner. Such were the ornaments of Bua-tahuna paktc kore 

 and Rua-tahuna kakahu mauku. 



Pome taua : These were mourning-caps, or, more properly 

 speaking, iillets, inasmuch as they possessed no crown. They 

 were worn by widows in former times. They were made of a 

 kind of large rush found growing on the margin of lakes, and 

 known as '• kiUakuta," or ^' paopao," or " kutvaiua"'* {ko te 

 paopao, mehemea ka parahuhutia ka pakepake nga mea o roto). 

 The stalks were peeled of the outer covering, leaving the white 

 inner part, which was then formed into a fillet for the head. 

 In some cases the material was died black and a reddish- 

 yellow (manaeka), the last colour being obtained by the same 

 process as that described in making the manaeka. These 

 coloured materials were then woven into a fillet, the hiikahuka 

 of which hung down all round the head, and covering the eyes 

 of the wearer. The potae taua was secured by being tied at 

 the back of the head. Other such mourning-caps were made 

 of bird's tails (kotore or humaeko) fastened entire to the fillet, 

 and which waved to and fro as the wearer moved. 



Floor-mats, Sleeping-mats (Whariki and Takapau). 



Whariki is a generic term for mats or covering for the 

 floor, whether woven mats, coarse or fine, or merely leaves or 

 LycopodiiLm, as is sometimes used. Takapau is applied to the 

 finer class of sleeping-mats. Coarse mats, such as that 

 termed " tuwhara," are placed on the ground, and the fine- 

 woven takapau of flax or kiekie over these. The leaves of the 

 kiekie are split into narrow strips, which are bleached until 

 quite white, the mat having a very neat and clean appearance. 

 When split these strips are hung in the sun until half-dry, 

 when they are taken down and beaten on the ground, the 

 operator taking a handful {tata) and threshing them on the 

 ground. They are then hung up again for a while. This pro- 

 cess is repeated several times, until the strips are quite white. 

 No dye or pattern-weaving obtains in connection with the 

 kiekie mats. 



Coarse floor-mats were also made of the kutakuta, de- 

 scribed above. Mats of these kinds are made in several 

 widths or pieces {papa), the leaves of the flax, &c., not being 

 long enough to run right through. When a midrib {tiiaka) is 

 thus formed in vpeaving mats it is termed a hiki, which is the 

 joining of two papa. {Ka patai tetahi wahine, "E hia nga 

 hiki to luhariki e toe ana?" Ka ki mai tera, "E toru." 

 No,', kua mohio e wha nga papa.) The turning of the ends of 

 the strips at the ends of a mat is termed " tapiki." 



* See " maro-kuta." 



