The textiles cases: a redress

Items on display in Museums are at greater risk of degradation than if they are stored in specialised conditions intended to preserve their present state. It’s best practice to change out cases regularly to ensure the items are well looked after.  

This is especially true with textiles. Before the introduction of synthetic materials, textiles would not have been expected to last forever. Clothing, and other personal effects such as bags and hats made from natural fibres all face an inevitable process of disintegration. These items face greater risk from the threats of pests, environmental exposure, degradation of their organic materials, along with the added pressure of everyday wear and tear. Though not being worn or used, items in Museum cases are no exception to the threat of decay.  

We have a responsibility to care for the taonga in our care correctly, to preserve the items themselves as well as the knowledge they hold. The textile cases in Te Marae Ātea Māori Court hold invaluable examples of traditional Māori creation and provide insight to an often-underrepresented facet of life.  

The examples of textiles in the cases aren’t ancient artefacts from another era, but components of a cultural practice that continues to exist against centuries of colonial suppression. The burden of colonialism doesn’t fall equally upon its subjects, and with the imposition of British rule wahine Māori were not only disenfranchised politically, but also increasingly alienated from traditional skills and knowledge built up over generations. Weaving, practiced mostly by wahine, was forced into decline by the new colonial structures.  

However, from the mid-twentieth century a group of dedicated and determined women sparked a revival movement of traditional Māori artforms, weaving and fibre arts in particular.  

The textiles display cases are an invitation for Museum visitors to engage with the taonga tuku iho that produced the items inside, and a challenge to carry on the legacy of women such as Dame Rangimarie Hetet and her daughter Dr Diggeress Rangituatahi Te Kanawa, Kahutoi’s grandmother and mother, who championed the Māori weaving revival.