Kaitaka cloak

In the eastern Pacific godly power could be present in the body, dress and ornaments worn by chiefs. As such chiefs and their property required handling correctly in accordance with the concept of tapu.


Large cloaks were a symbol of a chief's status, but also fulfilled the requirements of tapu by both protecting and containing the godly power he embodied.

This particular cloak is of a type known as kaitaka, an early form of Maori cloak seen and collected on Captain Cook's voyages.

Maori weaving has always been the skilled work of women, who do not use tools, only their fingers. The piece is suspended from two weaving sticks. The warp (that is, lengthwise) threads are suspended between the two sticks, and the weft (the threads woven across the warp) are twined across them from left to right.

The classic kaitaka was woven using unbeaten New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax) to retain its shining quality. Many early examples are plain, and others show a limited use of taniko (decorative weaves) incorporating the black and brown colours of natural dyes. Later examples often have full taniko borders, applied in thin strips along the two sides with a broader band along the bottom border as worn.

This kaitaka was probably a gift to Sir George Grey, the first Governor General for New Zealand during the period 1845 to 1854. The body of the cloak is decorated with tiny wool pompoms and feathers.