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Story: Māori clothing and adornment – kākahu Māori

Kaitaka cloaks with tāniko borders

Click on each cloak for a detailed photograph

Click on each of these superb traditional kaitaka, or tāniko-bordered cloaks, for more information about them. They all date from around the early 19th century and are made mainly of flax fibre with a narrow tāniko border at each side, and a wider border at the lower edge. Pātea are also cloaks of fine flax, but have a border at the bottom only.

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British Museum

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How to cite this page

Awhina Tamarapa rāua ko Patricia Wallace, Māori clothing and adornment – kākahu Māori – Weaving traditions and technique, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/40993/kaitaka-cloaks-with-taniko-borders (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Awhina Tamarapa rāua ko Patricia Wallace, published 4 March 2013.