The mighty Clutha River-Mata-au is set to weave itself through the latest creation from Alexandra woman Pauline McAlpine.
The experienced craftswoman, who has a lifetime of projects behind her, has now turned her hand to making korowai — finely woven Maori cloaks.
She has already made several small cloaks, and is now tutoring, helping others of all cultures either learn a new skill or reconnect with their Maori heritage.
Ms McAlpine is now working on two large korowai herself, one using balls of string she bleached to look like muka (flax fibre).
Another larger korowai — which will be about 1.8m by 1.3m — uses the "mop string" that is often used for weavings.
Pheasant and pukeko feathers will be woven through to represent the land of Central Otago and "the mighty Clutha Mata-au", which Ms McAlpine loves.
"It’s going to weave through the whole piece, just like the river weaves through Central Otago.
"I love that river. It’s beautiful."
Black tags will represent people, and Ms McAlpine estimates the piece will take about six months to make.
She says she will enjoy every step, both the weaving of the feathers and the "taniko" weaving at the top of the cloaks.
Ms McAlpine has always been "crafty", revelling in sewing, knitting and crochet projects throughout her lifetime.
She came to korowai weaving through a course she did about 18 months ago, and then did another course with respected weaver Robin Hill, of Taieri, after that.
She has embraced the technical, artistic and cultural aspects of the craft, loving many things about the Maori culture. Its respect for the land and desire to be caretakers of it resonates especially strongly with her.The colours and stories of korowai are also much loved, and Ms McAlpine feels privileged to now be teaching others the craft.‘‘I feel quite honoured that I’m doing it, and to have people respecting me.’’She said she enjoyed ‘‘still learning’’, and had learnt a lot about herself from her korowai — ‘‘that I have amazing concentration, and patience’’.She liked getting ‘‘completely lost’’ in the piece she was working on, and every step of it was satisfying. Far from viewing it as a massive undertaking that could become frustrating because of how long it would take, finishing every line of weaving was an accomplishment, she said. Making something with her hands was additionally satisfying.‘‘I like using my hands. I think it’s because you end up with a finished product — part of the appeal is making something tangible ... I get totally absorbed by it — it clears my mind. ‘‘And for each row you finish you get a feeling of satisfaction — you’ve completed it. Each row is a completion, an accomplishment.’’An added bonus was the physical benefits of weaving, Ms McAlpine said. Remaining dexterous helped keep her osteoarthritis in check.‘‘It’s good to keep the movement going — you use it or lose it.’’A retired early childhood and secondary school teacher, Ms McAlpine said she particularly loved the Montessori philosophy and ‘‘theory about life’’.‘‘It’s about letting kids learn from themselves, not that rote learning. ‘‘They [Montessori children] find their path in life — what they want to do, not what an adult wants them to do.’’She said she was particularly touched by the role a cloak she made and gave to her early childhood teacher friend Karen Cowie had played in many children’s lives.The cloak is used at the ‘‘graduation ceremony’’ of children when finishing preschool and heading off to primary school.‘‘It’s very special,’’ Ms McAlpine said. ‘‘They love it and I love it.’’pam.jones@odt.co.nz
