The tātua is a traditional
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
belt which main purpose is to carry objects or arms. Several forms of tātuas serve different functions.
Etymology
"Tātua" is a
Māori-language word meaning "belt".
Traditional use
Māori warriors were famously known for wearing only a ''maro'' (
kilt
A kilt ( gd, fèileadh ; Irish: ''féileadh'') is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish ...
) and a tātua during battle. Traditional tātuas are made of ''harakeke'' (flax) and used to carry tools or weapons. It sits across the abdomen and can be passed on from generation to generation.
''Tātua kotaras'' are broad
plaited belts used as a defence against spears in the period before a mortal combat.
See also
*
Māori traditional textiles
Māori traditional textiles are the indigenous textiles of the Māori people of New Zealand. The organisation Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa, the national Māori weavers' collective, aims to preserve and foster the skills of making and using ...
*
Matthew McIntyre-Wilson (contemporary weaver of tātuas)
References
External links
Maori Costume and Taniko
Māori culture
Weaves
Māori art
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