When Tane sought to make peace with his brother Tangaroa he plucked off his eyebrows and threw them to his brother who didn't accept the offer but threw them back. They landed on the shore and to this day still protect the sand dunes from the sea.
In the middle
of winter, just before the beads of Matariki make their first appearance in
the pre-dawn sky, a group of women can be seen hard at work on the sand dunes of
Rarawa beach, near Ngataki and north of Houhoura - north of just about everywhere in
New Zealand in fact.
They are pricking out pingao seedlings to be propagated in their nursery. It's one of four main natives used for weaving and is considered a taonga, a treasure and is the only natural fibre whose colour cannot be improved upon, a brilliant orange-gold that needs no further processing unlike black-edged flax which turns white when it's boiled. When the leaves are dried they will become tukutuku panels in the wharenui, or kete (bags), potae (hats) or whariki (mats) because the fibres are so strong.
This weaving group, this roopu, are all volunteers whose entire mission is to restore, preserve and utilise the coast of their area through educating local school children, through storytelling and by example. As Betsy Young explains, it began in 2000 when they received funding through the World Wildlife Fund and Far North Reap to begin their restoration programme.
"Our weaving group decided to grow our own pingao and we got five iwi to take part in it. The pingao acts as a stablilizer for the sand dunes and I see it as a companion for Spinafex and also as a place where dotterels can nest."
Four years ago there weren't any nesting dotterels on the dunes and now they are returning to the open spaces they like and will literally nestle beside the pingao. They're not the only ones snuggling down. In 2003 Betsy's group planted toheroa under a beach enhancement programme and used the pingao as markers.
These conservationists have also received support from DOC and the Regional Council and in fact are the only group in New Zealand with their own propagating nursery and although Betsy Young is considered an expert in this field now (a term she says makes her uncomfortable) she has paid her dues as an apprentice to nature.
"The pingao is something I am passionate about and we are learning something every day.When I first started I didn't know anything about it but it's like looking after babies and you learn as you go along.
"You have to know when the best time is to prick out, propagate and plant and it doesn't always work. In 2003 we lost the lot because of very high tides and we had to start all over again."
NATURE IN THE MAKING
Peria weaver, Agnes Hauptli, will showcase three-dimension weaving of geological forms and natural landscapes with an exhibition at The Earth House, 1307 Oruru Road, Peria, from 8 - 18 March. The exhibition is entitled "Nature in the Making" where Agnes is joined by Stacey Harvey-Brown, a fellow professional weaver from the UK. The exhibition will then head to Christchurch and to Tacoma in Washington before touring other venues in USA and Europe.
For more information contact Donna 09 408 5533