COROMIND ISSUE 18 JUN24 ONLINEVERSION - Flipbook - Page 17
child, protected by āwhi rito (its parents) on either side.
These core parts are never harvested. Only outer leaves,
like tūpuna (grandparents) are taken. This sustainable
practice ensures future generations of harakeke by
protecting the plant’s ability to reproduce.
In the third year, she sold a kete at a local cafe in Tauranga.
“At that point I realised I could possibly make some
pieces and sell them, and it just grew from there.” After
graduating in 2013 she moved to Whangamatā, where
the natural environment informed her brightly coloured
pieces – she takes photos whenever inspiration strikes.
“When we 昀椀rst moved to Whangamatā, I would go 昀椀shing
with a friend. We’d be sitting at sunset, and the light on the
water as the sun sets changes rapidly. I remember looking
at that colour change, and thinking ‘I’m going to work with
that’, and that was how I made the blue porohita (circle).”
Māori traditionally use natural dyes derived from paru/
swamp mud, tānekaka bark and raurēkau (coprosma) to
colour harakeke; however, Bernie utilises modern dyes
formulated for natural 昀椀bres, often mixing colours for
speci昀椀c shades. She uses a harakeke variety that is well
suited to 昀氀at work and kete*, and has started to propagate
it at home. Raranga is time intensive, requiring several
weeks to prepare the harakeke, and then several more
weeks (or months!) to weave. Bernie creates shapes that
work well as wall hangings, sometimes incorporating a
pattern like the outline of the puawānanga (native white
clematis) which only 昀氀owers for three weeks on the
Coromandel.
In 2013, she joined the Whangamatā Arts Collective and
spent several years as the Chairperson and a Trustee,
growing the collective and initiating events like the annual
Harcourts Challenge and the Easter Art Trail. In 2019,
she became a Creative Coromandel Trustee, a role she
continues today.
Raranga is steeped in indigenous knowledge and there are
many cultural and spiritual elements associated with it.
Bernie upholds and shares this legacy by hosting weaving
workshops four times a year, for beginners from all walks
of life. “It’s really important that people understand why
we do what we do with 昀氀ax. The tikanga are both practical
and spiritual reasons for why we need to do things in a
certain way.”
Bernie exhibits her work locally and nationally, and
regularly sells commissions. “When it starts to happen it
can snowball, but it’s taken ten years to get to this point!
I didn’t think I was good enough, and that caused trouble
in my early weaving years. I think artists generally su昀昀er
from that. So I try to do what I’m good at and what I enjoy
doing, which is the most important thing – because if you
don’t enjoy it, you will never weave. You’ve got to love it.”
You can check out Bernie’s raranga at The Little Gallery
in Tairua and Whangamatā! Her next 1-day raranga
workshops are on 19th & 20th July 2024 – email bazbern@
outlook.com to book a space and follow her on Facebook:
Bernadette Ross- Flax Weaving for more workshop dates
and upcoming exhibitions!
*https://w w w.landcareresearch.co.nz/tools-andresources/collections/new-zealand-昀氀ax-collections/
Words by
Anusha Bhana
Coromind | 16