Adventure in New Zealand, from 1839 to 1844 Volume 1; with some account of the beginning of the British colonization of the islands

by Edward Jerningham Wakefield

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1845 ...They are all perfectly waterproof, the leaves of the outside thatch overlapping each other like tiles. But the most valued Maori mat is the kaitaka or parawai. This is woven of the very finest, silky, snowwhite muka, and is unsullied by any tag or ornament except a border of a foot in width at the bottom, and six inches on the two sides. This border is dyed black, except where sets of parallel zigzag lines, and the lozenge-shaped spaces between them, are left white or stained chesnut-colour with another dye. Lately a very bad taste of introducing coloured worsted, taken from European clothing, has spoiled the chasteness of their execution; but an old parawai, with nothing but Maori materials and manufacture, is certainly a very handsome garment, and the border is really classical in design. The two sexes have different ways of wearing the mat or blanket. The man wears it tied on his right 6houlder like a Roman toga, so as to have his right arm free; the woman ties it over her breast, and holds the sides together with her hands. In carrying a child, the man dresses like a woman, as the child clings round the neck of the person who carries him, and is sustained by the blanket, grasped tight round both their bodies. There were very few blankets among the TVanganui natives. Indeed, they had begged me very naively to see "how many things of the pakeha they had among "them," when I read to them Mr. Williams's manuscript ruse. I was much pleased by the conduct of E Kuru on one of these days. A cringing, sneaking Ngatiawa native, who stated himself to be a relation of Warepori, had brought a porera for sale. Thinking it better than any which I had yet seen, and ignorant as yet of the price-current here, I modestly inquired whether he would take an ax...

148 pages, Paperback

Published May 21, 2012

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