Rare Pre-Contact Rain Cape from Aotearoa

A rare and important pake, rain cape, Aotearoa, pre-contact period. One of the rarest and finest examples to be seen anywhere in the world. This particular example was removed from Aotearoa immediately following the 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera by American lecturer Dr. A Fairbrother. He was known to have one of the finest collections of Maori korowai, carvings, and clubs in the world. After Fairbrother left Aotearoa following the eruption, the cloak was included in a tour of the USA in 1888. It is likely the cloak was collected much earlier than the Tarawera eruption as they were no longer in use at the time. The cloak was subsequently repatriated to Aotearoa where it has been held in the private collection since. Due to the utilitarian nature of the pake very few examples remain to this day, and perhaps none as fine as this., weavers constructed pake from the base up, much like a thatched roof. To weave the flax-fibre foundation, they adapted whatu - a twining technique originally used to make fishing nets and traps. As they wove, they worked in the hundreds of hukahuka. They scraped a small section in the centre of each to be able to fold it and attach it to the cloak. When the garment was long enough, they twisted the whenu (vertical threads, or warp) at the neck to form a strong, rope-like finish. For some cloaks, they trimmed the overlying rows of hukahuka to form tiers. This pake has double-pair twining with a robust plaited finish at the top. One original tie still present. Exposed surface beautifully thatched with precise rows of flax leaf. Maker's signature visible, presented as a contrasting fibre against the rest of the weave. Cape height 97 cm, width 133 cm. Frame 127 x 167 cm. Provenance: Private Collection, Aotearoa