Detail of border of kahu kiwi woven using tāniko, the muka warps (vertical) are twisted pairs.
Muka is prepared fibre of New Zealand flax (Māori: harakeke).[1] Prepared primarily by scraping, pounding and washing, it is a key material in Māori traditional textiles where it is usually used in tāniko or twined weaving. Some varieties produce different grades or quality of muka that result in characteristics such as strength, whiteness or shine.[2]
In pre-European times, muka was widely used by the Māori and was the primary fibre used for weaving clothing. Patu muka or pounding stones were a distinct tool type.[3]
In the early colonial period, muka was a trade staple, often being traded for muskets with devastating effects.[4] Well into the European era it was used for paper, clothing and sacking, with large commercial workings in Foxton and elsewhere.[5]
Since the Māori renaissance the resurgence in traditional Māori weaving has seen up-swing in the use of muka, especially for art and high-end craft items. Usually woven muka is distinguished from woven (unprepared) flax which is only suitable for coarse work such as bags (kete) and panels.
^"Māori Dictionary". maoridictionary.co.nz. 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2011. (noun) prepared flax fibre. He harakeke iraira, he mumura te kākāriki o ngā whā, he kōwhai ngā tāekaeka, he karaka ngā tapa me te tuaka, he mā, he mōhinuhinu te muka o tēnei harakeke (PK 2008:603). A variegated flax, with bright green leaves, yellow stripes, orange edges and midrib, while the fiber of this flax is white and shiny.
^Chitham, Karl (2019). Crafting Aotearoa : a cultural history of making in New Zealand and the wider Moana Oceania. Kolokesa Uafā Māhina-Tuai, Damian Skinner, Rigel Sorzano. Wellington, New Zealand: Te Papa Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-9941362-7-5. OCLC 1118996645.
^"Patu muka - Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
^"The early flax trade - Flax and flax working — Te Ara". teara.govt.nz. 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011. The Māori producers were not paid in cash but in goods – usually muskets. The trade therefore had a lasting impact on Māori society. With firearms, conflicts between tribes turned into full-scale wars. Tribes competed for control of the flax trade and thus the supply of muskets.
^"Last flax cut, Foxton - Manawatū and Horowhenua places — Te Ara". teara.govt.nz. 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
Muka is prepared fibre of New Zealand flax (Māori: harakeke). Prepared primarily by scraping, pounding and washing, it is a key material in Māori traditional...
Kuih seri muka, sri muka or putri salat (lit. 'pretty face cake') is a Banjarese and Malay two-layered dessert with steamed glutinous rice forming the...
The Mukas Port (Filipino: Daungan ng Mukas, Cebuano: Pantalan sa Mukas), is a seaport in Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte, Philippines. It is owned and managed...
Ogert Muka (born 10 September 1979) is a retired Albanian footballer. During his club career, Muka played for KS Lushnja, KF Teuta Durrës, FK Dinamo Tirana...
Devi Muka (born 21 December 1976 in Vlorë) is an Albanian retired footballer who has spent the majority of his career playing for KF Tirana in the Albanian...
James Gladstone (Blackfoot: Akay-na-muka, lit. 'Many Guns'; May 21, 1887 – September 4, 1971) was a Canadian politician who claimed to become the first...
Datin Manis Muka binti Mohd Darah (8 October 1954 – 17 November 2020) was a Malaysian politician. She was a candidate for the Sabah Heritage Party for...
Kuka muu muka is the eighth studio album by Finnish rapper Cheek. Released on 20 September 2013 (2013-09-20) , the album peaked at number one on the Finnish...
against him. Types of nonweapon patu include: patu muka: a pounder used to soften flax fibre (muka) in preparation for weaving. patu aruhe: a pounder...
of coastal dipterocarp forest, can be easily seen on steep slopes around Muka Head. There are over 1000 species of plants recorded which are dominated...
compilation of Albanian folk music was made by two Himariot musicians, Neço Muka and Koço Çakali, in Paris, during their work with Albanian soprano Tefta...
The Bamunka language, Ŋgieməkɔʼkə Bamunka pronunciation: [ˈŋgiěꜜmə́ˌkɔ̀ʔkə̌], is a Grassfields Bantu language of Cameroon. /b/ and /m/ are bilabial, whereas...
Sorbs in the Free State of Saxony). It is based on the statistics by Arnošt Muka from the 1880s in order to preserve and protect the settlement area in its...
singer, composer and idol. She became popular after her first song, "Cinta Muka Buku" (Facebook Love) gained popularity. Najwa learned how to play guitar...
The Mukaab (Arabic: المكعّب, romanized: mukaʻʻab, lit. 'cube', [mukaʕʕab]) is a proposed architectural project to build a 400-meter tall cube-shaped skyscraper...
entrepreneur and founded U.S. Robotics in 1976 with Casey Cowell and Steve Muka. Paul Collard was born in Weston-Super-Mare, England, to Roy and Margaret...
Global Information