Master weaver Trina Taurua is calling on weavers connected to Whanganui River marae to help revive the tradition of weaving and using papa whāriki (woven mats).
Taurua’s initiative aims to restore the practice while passing traditional knowledge to future generations.
“I’ve called on our iwi, our hapū, our marae and our people to revitalise all our marae, to adorn our marae, because that’s what we lack now,” Taurua says.
“The patterning and everything that we have on the whāriki are the narratives of each marae. If it’s not about whakapapa, it’s about history, how the marae began, who the tūpuna were.”
Taurua has developed the Papa Whāriki initiative to help strengthen the skills of kairaranga (weavers), preserve the techniques associated with raranga, and reconnect communities with an important part of marae life.
A respected figure in the weaving world, Taurua tutored at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Whanganui for 15 years and has spent many years adorning marae with tukutuku and whāriki. Her work includes leading the adornment of the whare tipuna at Waitangi Marae, on her father’s side.
She recently exhibited as a master weaver in He Puna Tohunga at the inaugural Festival of Design Aotearoa in Whanganui and in the accompanying fringe exhibition, Ora Te Toi.
The Papa Whāriki programme began with six of her Ngā Rauru marae in South Taranaki, where 16 wāhine kairaranga came together to create whāriki for six whare tūpuna.
Taurua intends to extend the kaupapa to the six remaining Ngā Rauru marae.
Meanwhile, interest from weavers along the Whanganui River has opened the way for a new programme spanning Te Awa Tupua, with participants from as far upriver as Taumarunui.
At an introductory session for river-connected kairaranga, Taurua put out a call for experienced weavers. Thirty-four have already signed up.
“It is usually two wāhine per whāriki, so we’ll have 17 whāriki for 17 marae nō te awa.”
The first wānanga is planned for the first weekend of November, with Taurua encouraging more local weavers to join.
“If you’re a kairaranga from the river, nau mai haere mai.”
Taurua says restoring whāriki to marae is about more than the craft itself. The mats carry the stories, whakapapa, histories and memories of the communities they belong to, while serving practical and ceremonial purposes.
Whāriki can be used during tangihanga, providing a place for the deceased to rest, and for kawe mate and other kaupapa when photographs are displayed. They also have a place in everyday whānau and marae life.
The Te Awa Tupua programme is expected to take about two months, beginning with the preparation of harakeke.
Taurua has asked participants to prepare 1000 whenu, or strands, for their whāriki: 800 natural and 200 coloured. The colours will help tell each marae’s story through the patterns chosen by the weavers.
“The colours would be the narrative and the kōrero and the history, depending on what they choose for the patterns.”
After the initial wānanga, the teams will continue weaving at home, with Taurua visiting participants individually to provide guidance and support.
“I do the rounds, one-on-one sessions in their homes. It works,” she says.
The weaving takes just over a month, after which each team will present its completed whāriki to the marae.
The programmes have been funded by iwi entities Ngā Rauru Kiitahi and Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui. Taurua is also hoping to take the kaupapa to Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa in the near future.
Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
