Best. — Clothing of the Ancient Maori. 643 



that ancient tribe of mountaineers, even from the dim, mist- 

 laden epoch when Te Maunga (the mountain) descended from 

 on high, lured to earth by the fleecy charms of Hine-pukohu- 

 rangi (the Goddess of the Mist), and unto them was born 

 Potiki (the child), from whom sprang Nga-potiki (the children), 

 a tribe now known as Tuhoe and Te Ure-wera. Frowned 

 upon by Dame Nature were these Children of the Mist, for, 

 look you ! so inhospitable are those savage ranges of Tuhoe 

 Land that, save for the abundance of birds in their great 

 forests, no man might dwell therein. For the kumara and 

 taro could not be cultivated ; and, as for clothing, no flax 

 grew in the realm of Potiki save the inferior kinds found on 

 cliffs, which were useless. Thus, when the snow and sleet of 

 the whaturua (midwinter) drifted down from giant Huiarau, 

 the only salvation for these bushmen were the loharepuni and 

 the toi cloaks. It is only in recent times that the better 

 kinds of flax have been introduced and cultivated here. It 

 is said that Taitua first introduced the better flax, from 

 Waikato, some six generations ago. The kiekie fibre was 

 formerly used by the people of the lower Whakatane and 

 Tauranga Elvers, but it does not grow far inland, the nearest 

 to Eua-tahuna being at Hana-mahihi. In ancient times the 

 leaves of the ynauku (Asplenium buihiferum) were woven 

 into a sort of rude mat, and a very poor and perishable 

 one it must have been. Hence the old-time sayings for 

 this district : " Bua-tahuna kakahu mauku," and " Rua- 

 tahuna paku kore." These mauku mats were worn at night 

 only, being warmed at a fire and used as a covering. They 

 were too perishable to be worn outside. It is thus a fact 

 that in ancient times these mountaineers wore scarcely any 

 covering, and in winter they remained in their semi-subter- 

 ranean houses. 



The toi capes are made in the same style as a timu. The 

 fibre is much coarser than that of flax, and much resembles in 

 colour and appearance the cocoanut-fibre seen in floor-matting. 

 In making these capes only enough leaves are cut for one 

 day's weaving, for if left longer they cannot be prepared ; 

 they become dry, and the vegetable matter cannot be dis- 

 engaged from the fibre {ko te para kaore e pahuhu). The mid- 

 rib {tuaka) is taken out of the toi leaves, it being too hard to 

 work, after which the leaves are beaten to soften them and 

 disengage the para or vegetable matter. These fine leaves are 

 often seen 8 in. wide. The hukahuka of this cape are strips 

 of the toi leaf, not bruised or beaten, or they would not lie 

 close and flat, but curl up. (Kaore e pai kia maru a ivaho, 

 engari kia tupa tonii, kia kaua e kopa.) The toi capes are 

 dyed black when finished, and will remain waterproof for 

 many years. The old dried leaves of the toi are termed 



