Kete (basket) explained

Kete are traditional baskets made and used by New Zealand's Māori people.[1] They are traditionally woven from the leaves of New Zealand flax called harakeke and have two handles at the top.[2] Other materials are sometimes used, including sedge grass or the leaves of the nikau palm and cabbage tree.[3] Modern designs may also use dyed materials.[4] [5] Some kete, known as kete whakairo, or "patterned bag", feature intricate geometric patterns, while more everyday baskets are known as kete mahi or simply kete.[6] [7]

Uses

Kete may be of many sizes but are most often found in sizes similar to large handbags. They can be used to carry a variety of things, including food. Specialized kete were woven for each item that needed storage, resulting in dozens of specialized styles. Very small kete also exist, and can be used as gift containers. Traditionally, kete were given away following their completion.[8]

Kete have also been used to bury placenta following a birth or miscarried fetuses following a miscarriage.[9] [10]

Kete whakairo are often used solely for decoration, often on walls.[11]

History

Kete were traditionally woven by women, with specific skills and techniques being passed down within families and closely guarded from outsiders.[12]

Following colonisation, kete and other traditional textiles became less popular due to the introduction of manufactured containers. However, the practice of weaving kete did not fully die out and has become revitalized in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Kete have experienced a resurgence in New Zealand in recent years, being touted by weavers as a more sustainable option to plastic bags.[13] [14]

Cultural significance

In addition to their practical uses, kete also "represent a container of knowledge and wisdom". Kete appear in Māori tradition and folklore. For example, in one story the god Tāne collects the stars of the Milky Way in a kete for Ranginui. In another, he receives three kete of knowledge when he climbs to the highest heaven: a kete of light, a kete of darkness, and a kete of pursuit.[15] These kete were then passed on to the Māori people.

In popular culture

Kete have been used as symbols of Māori culture in a variety of situations, from Kiwiana to kitchen implements.[16] [17] A kete emoji was included on the first Māori emoji keyboard, released in 2016.[18]

The design of the New Zealand Memorial in Canberra is meant to evoke the handles of a kete.[19]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fuka . Lauren . 10 May 2021 . Object Monday: Māori Kete Baskets Maxwell Museum . 2023-03-05 . maxwellmuseum.unm.edu.
  2. Web site: Raranga: Māori weaving 100% Pure New Zealand . 2023-03-05 . www.newzealand.com . en-US.
  3. Web site: New Zealand Traditional Maori Woven Products | Floor Mats | Kete | Flax Baskets . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120824134206/http://www.tepuia.com/wananga_new_zealand_traditional_maori_woven_products.htm . 24 August 2012 . 19 September 2012 . Te Puia.
  4. Web site: Manins . Rosie . 2012-02-18 . Modern twist to Maori weaving . 2023-03-05 . Otago Daily Times Online News . en.
  5. Book: Evans, Miriama . The art of Māori weaving : the eternal thread = te aho mutunga kore . 2005 . Huia Publishers . Ranui Ngarimu, Norman Heke, Toi Māori Aotearoa, Creative New Zealand . 1-86969-161-X . Wellington, N.Z. . 101 . en . 727985796.
  6. Web site: 29 June 2012 . Dream weaver: a new collection of Maori Kete . 2023-03-05 . The Australian Museum . en.
  7. Web site: 23 May 2022 . Our Treasures: Whangārei Museum hosting big bag display at Mim Ringer Gallery . 2023-03-05 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
  8. Web site: 23 June 2014 . In honour of weavers past - Northland Age News . 2023-03-05 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
  9. Web site: Black . Eleanor . 2017-08-15 . Beads, capsules, burial: what we do with our placentas . 2023-03-05 . Stuff . en.
  10. Web site: Houseman . Molly . 2020-08-07 . Baby burial kete to bring 'dignity' . 2023-03-05 . Otago Daily Times Online News . en.
  11. Book: Bartra, Eli . Feminism and folk art : case studies in Mexico, New Zealand, Japan, and Brazil . 2019 . 978-1-4985-6433-5 . Lanham, Maryland . 58 . en . 1088657962.
  12. Book: Ngawaka, Margaret Rose . Kete whakairo : plaiting flax for beginners . 2013 . 978-1-4669-4154-0 . [Bloomington] . 1 . en . 850920154.
  13. Web site: Ling . Jenny . 2018-08-08 . Maori weavers call for kete to replace plastic bags . 2023-03-05 . Stuff . en.
  14. Web site: Boult . Kris . 2018-09-23 . The answer to replacing single use plastic bags is all in the (flax) weaving . 2023-03-05 . Stuff . en.
  15. Web site: Ranginui as knowledge and life . 5 March 2023 . Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
  16. Web site: Pickles . Katie . Kiwiana is past its use-by date. Is it time to re-imagine our symbols of national identity? . 2023-03-05 . The Conversation . 31 December 2020 . en.
  17. Web site: Kaumatua cookie cutters add Māori flavour . 2023-03-05 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
  18. Web site: 26 May 2016 . World's first Maori emoji to be launched (+video) . 2023-03-05 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
  19. News: 2015-04-20 . New Zealand Memorial in Canberra depicts carrying a shared load . en-AU . ABC News . 2023-03-05.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kete (basket)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.