by Johanna Qiao Tong

The story

Beneath the Pāteroa / Rock & Pillar Range in the small town of Middlemarch, I started weaving at a 10 week course taught by Marcanui Taura, in February 2023.

At that exact time that I started to learn how to weave for the first time, I rescued & nursed a small bird, a Goldfinch.

Through the 10 weeks of learning intensively about kete whakairo, the Goldfinch grew and became my weaving companion.

The Goldfinch, became so accustomed to being near harakeke, it eventually made a kete it’s bedtime perch, sleeping in a kete hanging from the ceiling next to my bed.

The Goldfinch grew and grew and started to sing and fly all the while I was weaving, when the weaving course ended, the bird flew out the door into a bright morning.

Kōurarini means Goldfinch in te reo, māori.

This is why Kōurarini Toi was chosen as a name for my weaving, to acknowledge my feathered friend who was there when I first learnt how to weave, and was born at the place where the harakeke grew.

At the time of writing this, in early August 2023, I have been weaving for 6 months.

The Taiari River, Ōtākou

below:The Kōurarini, Burdee

Learning

Throughout the duration of the 10 week course on kete whakairo, of which was from 9am to 3pm every Tuesday, we learned as a group about tikanga, harvesting, preparation, weaving and patterns from our teacher Marcanui.

This was the first course of it’s kind to be held in Middlemarch, Ōtākau, and it has had a significant impact on the direction of my creative life for this year.

I became very attracted to the whole process of weaving, from plant to the finished creation, and enjoyed connecting with nature in a respectful way whilst also learning about patterns.

As I continued to learn about harakeke, it became a bit like an addiction, and never ceased to delight me. In turn I grew a deeper respect for harakeke, māori culture and our teacher, for showing us how, and opening up a bright path of new creative possibilities.