Te kai ni kakari

Te kai ni kakari. Thatching needle. The kai ni kakari is used to thread lengths of kora (coconut sennit cord) through pieces of ato (prepared thatch of coconut or pandanus leaves) to the rafters of dwellings. This kai ni kakari is carved from te rii ni kua (porpoise bone). It is long and flat, shaped to a point at each end. A hole is drilled through the mid section. A second drilled hole located towards one end of the piece is threaded with twisted cord of brown plant fibre intertwined with dark te ira n atu (human hair). The kai ni kakari has a visible grain and is otherwise off-white in colour.