June 11, 2020
Wahine empowered to share kiwi craft
Northland weavers have struck a deal with the Department of Conservation to use kiwi killed by vehicles or dogs.
Raewyn Ormsby Rihari from Ngāti Torehina ki Mataka in the north west Bay of Islands says it's a chance to preserve and restore mātauranga which could be lost over time.
Rather than languishing in freezers, the manu are pelted and the feathers used for kahu kiwi for kuia and kaumātua.
She says the birds are shared with other hapū in the north.
"We usually take two from hapū who are interested in learning. They will go back and hand it down to whoever wants it in their marae because if we empower two, the two can empower however many, so in that way wahine get to be empowered," Ms Ormsby says.
The Ngāti Torehina ki Mataka wānanga has been documented in a new book, Te Manu Huna a Tane, published by Massey University Press.
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