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Fernwood Home > Phormiums > New Zealand Flax |
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New Zealand Flax |
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27 May 2007 |
This page: History - Other uses - Flax in UK - Flax weaving - References |
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History |
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By the time Captain Cook visited New Zealand in 1769 it had already been inhabited for almost a thousand years by the Maoris who originated from Polynesia. They brought with them their skills at using various plants in their daily life. They soon realised that the native plants that we now know as phormiums or New Zealand Flax, were ideal substitutes for the palms and other plants they had used in their homelands. The long strap-like leaves were ideal for plaiting into mats, containers, shoes and even shelters. (The name Phormium comes from the Greek word phormos meaning basket, a traditional product of New Zealand flax.) Strong flexible fibre could also be extracted from the leaves for weaving into clothing, or for making rope and fishing nets. The flowers provided nectar for sweetening and pollen for cosmetic use and the strong but light flower stems could be used for building and for making rafts. The roots were a source of medicinal products. The Maoris became, and still remain, very skilled at selecting, preparing and working with New Zealand Flax. Europeans soon saw the benefits of New Zealand flax as a replacement for normal Linum flax and from the 1820s till the 1970s there was a thriving flax industry in New Zealand. Following the introduction of mechanical flax stripping machines in the 1860s, thousands of tons of flax fibre were exported to Great Britain, mainly for rope making. Gradually, however, the introduction of synthetic materials and the development of inexpensive sources of other plant fibres meant the the New Zealand Flax industry went into decline and the last flax mills closed down in the 1980s. Phormium tenax (Maori - 'Harakeke') is still cultivated for weaving and plaiting and many of the old Maori cultivars are now being conserved. Landcare Research in New Zealand, have set up experimental plantings of Maori weaving flax varieties in various parts of New Zealand. The results have been published in He Korero Korari, No.13, November 2004. (ISSN 1175-5350)
Traditional baskets and food containers are still used in New Zealand but Maori work is also produced and sold as souvenirs for visitors. There are also a number of people producing artworks using flax and leisure courses on flax weaving are popular.
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Other uses of New Zealand Flax |
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Paper makingThe fibre extracted from phormium leaves can be used to produce paper and there have been several attempts at commercial production. Most of these were short-lived and there are now only a few people making paper as a specialised craft industry. Other productsThe nectar from the flowers is used in sweet-making and the waxy secretions of the leaves are sometimes incorporated into soaps and other cosmetics. Flower arrangingOne popular use of phormiums is in the art of flower arranging. The long, colourful leaves of phormiums are ideal for using in various ways. Whole leaves can be used to provide height in an arrangement or they can be coiled, twisted, folded, cut and plaited for special effects. They last for a long time after cutting and the variegated and coloured edged varieties add interesting textures and lines to the arrangement.
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New Zealand Flax in the UK |
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In this country phormiums are almost always grown as garden plants. They are
commonly planted as ornamental features along urban roadsides and in municipal
town centre gardens. There is a small market for cut leaves for use in flower arranging but most arrangers use leaves from their own garden plants for this purpose. Because of the general lack of suitable material there is very little interest in flax weaving or other crafts. As far as we are aware there are none of the traditional Maori cultivars grown in this country so anyone wishing to experiment with flax has to make do with the leaves of ornamental cultivars or general garden forms of P. tenax. There are a number of books available from New Zealand that give detailed instructions for preparing and working with flax. Some of the items that we have made by following such instructions are illustrated below. |
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Flax weaving |
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Fresh leaf After drying Piupiu is where small sections of fibre are exposed, then the leaf left to dry and roll up. The resulting strips are often dyed to colour the exposed fiber then used to produce the traditional Maori skirts.
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References |
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Anon. (1871), Catalogue of the Samples of Fibres and Manufactured Articles prepared from The Phormium Tenax: Exhibited by the Flax Commissioners in the Colonial Museum, Wellington, August 1981, Thomas W. McKenzie, Printer, Willis Street, Wellington, New Zealand.
Bell, E.F. and Young, F. (1842). Reasons for promoting the cultivation of the New Zealand Flax, Smith, Elder and Co., Cornhill, London.
Harris, W. (2000). Extraction, content, strength, and extension of Phormium variety fibres prepared for traditional Maori weaving, New Zealand Journal of Botany, 2000, Vol. 38: 469-487
Klundert, Jan van de (1996). Te Kono Naku Raranga Harakeke, Nga Puna Waihanga, Rotorua, New Zealand. ISBN 0 473 03871 4
Mead, Hirini Moko (1999), Te Whatu Taniko, Reed Books, Birkenhead, Auckland, New Zealand. ISBN 0 7900 0697 0
Pendergrast, Mick (1987). Fun with Flax, Reed Books, Birkenhead, Auckland, New Zealand. ISBN 0 7900 0053 9
Pendergrast, Mick (1987). Te Aho Tapu - The Sacred Thread, Reed Books, Birkenhead, Auckland, New Zealand. ISBN 0 7900 0328 7
Pendergrast, Mick (2000). Te Mahi Kete, Maori Flaxcraft for Beginners, Reed Books, Birkenhead, Auckland, New Zealand. ISBN 0 7900 9744 4
Shep, S.J. (1997), The Paper Record: Phormium tenax and New Zealand Papermaking, BSANZ Bulletin, v.21 no.3, 1997, 135-164
Shep, S.J. (1999), New Zealand Paper Trails: Experimentation with Alternate Fibres in the Nineteenth Century, Looking at Paper: Evidence & Interpretation - Symposium Proceedings, Toronto 1991.
Scheele, S. and Walls, G. (1994). Harakeke: the Rene Orchiston collection, Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln, New Zealand. ISBN 0 478 04507 7
Ayson, Bob (1977), MIRANIU - The story of New Zealand's largest flax mill, Southern Press Ltd., Wellington, New Zealand.
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Internet links |
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Erena McNeil
New Zealand Flax . . . in floral art
The New Zealand Flax Milling Industry, Ian Matheson
Foxton Historical society, New Zealand
Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research
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