Ancient knowledge reclaimed as weavers recreate Māori sail
A determined group of Northland weavers has fulfilled a challenge laid down a century ago by rediscovering the long-lost techniques used to create a traditional Māori sail.
Woven sails were used to propel the waka that brought Māori across the Pacific to Aotearoa but the specialist knowledge used to design and weave them had been lost to time.
For centuries the only surviving example of a traditional sail, known as Te Rā, was in a vault of the British Museum in London.
Fearing the skills used to create Te Rā could vanish forever, in 1922 Te Rangi Hīroa (Sir Peter Buck) — a renowned doctor, military leader, anthropologist and MP — issued a challenge to recreate the sail and share the knowledge with the people of Aotearoa.
Link to article: ‘It’s only the beginning’: Ancient knowledge reclaimed as weavers recreate Māori sail - NZ Herald
