Threads of Origin

In our natural state, humans were unclothed beings, our ancestors quite comfortable in their nakedness. It was only gradually that men and women adopted the custom of covering themselves up with skins, grasses, and later, woven cloth. The natural environment undoubtedly influenced the development of dress, with humans taking to clothes for the sake of warmth in cold climates or for the protection from the sun in hot countries, rather than any form of adornment.

Same say that the wearing of clothes came from a sense of modesty, but I believe that this only began to happen once clothes were adopted. In many cases, a sense of modesty was dictated by a social environment created by the arrival of missionaries, who preached the simple covering of the body as being close to a new level of spiritual fulfilment. While not necessarily being the origins of cultural dress, this missionary zeal certainly influenced which garments were necessary to wear and which parts of the body they could appropriately cover.

“The borderline work of culture demands an encounter with ‘newness’ that is not part of the continuum of past and present. It creates a sense of the new as an insurgent act of cultural translation. Such art does not merely recall the past as social cause or aesthetic precedent; it renews the past, refiguring it as a contingent ‘in between’ space’ that innovates and interrupts the performance of the present. The ‘past-present’ becomes part of the necessity, not the nostalgia, of living.”
Homi K.Bhabha, The Location of Culture.

Amulets, jewellery, breastplates or shields almost preceded protective clothing and were possibly worn more for magical reasons than for comfort or protection. Elaborately designed costumes have the same magical effect, displaying fine craftsmanship, attention to detail and decorated with what resources were available. It is understood that these garments were made for ceremonial occasions and to represent the status of a high chief.

All these garments of feathered cloaks, head dresses, amulets, mantles and decorated weaponry at some time were designed for protecting oneself from bad spirits, worn in ceremonial occasions and rituals or worn in battle to attract the enemy. But what defines these garments, is that each holds certain characteristics significant to their place of origin and history. Different civilizations have similar design function in the use of customary dress. A fine woven piece of cloth or animal skin could be wrapped round the body in comfort for any activity. Whether one was comfortable or not they had the power and the mystique in the worship of their god.

“The love of adornment and the fear of evil magic seem to have been amongst the first causes of the wearing of clothes. Naked tribesman decked themselves out with bracelets, necklaces, and head-bands, and tattooed or painted their bodies. Both as a protection against the evil spirits and because they thought such embellishments were beautiful”.

In any given time or place from age to age and country to country, a similar formula or a type of clothing was designed. From a length of skin mantle or pieces of cloth wrapped round the body, to the development of cloaks and capes. In its simplest form, the cloak is a wide unshaped piece of material, usually knee or ankle length, and secured on the shoulder by a pin or handmade tie. Mantles were of a rectangle shape, worn by both men and woman. The Greek mantle was a rectangle piece of cloth, often with embroidered borders for decoration. Like the Greek mantle the Maori mantle was of a similar shape, woven from fine fibres and decorated from the front with hand dyed woven tags not unlike the traditional Korowai.

The garments were made from fine fibres stripped down from native plants and prepared into long lengths ready to weave together. As time went on the weavers refined the weave of the garments from the strength of the natural materials found in their natural environment. Garments became more decorative in pattern as the weavers knowledge grew and their skills were perfected. The cloak itself becoming more empowered by the status of the owner and as a result the cloaks mana increased when worn.

As new materials were introduced and acquired, again the look of the garments changed in style and appearance. Natural colours were made from earth pigments and feathers were plucked from birds to adorn the cloaks.

Before the arrival of the European, most cultures lived in isolation and had developed their own way of life. The Maori gradually adopted a new way of life as they were confronted with a new civilization but were able to retain something of the old. A fusion of the two has accrued over the years and a new revival of the art of weaving still holds a strong component of traditional values.

“He huia tangata tahi. There is but one person who is like the Huia.
There is only one chief, Huia feathers are his emblem”. Maori Bird lore, pg 104

Birds have played a significant role in the folklore of many seemingly separate cultures. Seen as messengers from the gods, widely used as a narrative tool in mythology and symbolic of freedom their feathers have adorned man for centuries. For Maori, birds have a status shrouded in mythical significance, crowning the heads of the Rangatira.

In ancient Egypt the rich and famous customarily wore elaborate clothes, often adorned with gems or gold, whereas the poor walked about naked. To wear clothes was a sign of wealth and no expense was spared, even in death. Sarcophagi, again adorned with jewels and gold, depicted a person's life history in a story board format filled with hieroglyphic symbols. Significant in this documentation are references to the bird symbolic as the intermediary between the gods and humanity. The way in which mummies were dressed, and the hieroglyphic depictions of ceremonial dress are seen in preparation for rituals performed after death. Similarly, Maori also saw birds as having ceremonial status and being a messenger from the afterlife. The birds are narrators in stories of Maui and those of Paptuanuku, the earth mother. Certain types of birds such as huia and the Tui are given noble and chiefly attributes. This status was reflected in the use of the huia feather adornment for the head, the most tapu part of the chiefly body.

Has the bird been a symbolic signifier for the dress of human identity, or are we wearing the bird’s identity?

For centuries the bird has been celebrated, influencing many cultures’, customary dress and their role as messengers. Was it the bird messenger that created similarities between cultures?

Or was it our perceived connection between the bird’s beauty and attracting the opposite sex?

Dressing in feathers is arguably considered to be a primitive act, yet nothing could be more beautiful than what is provided by nature. Most costume feathers are taken from farmed ostrich, domestic turkey, pheasant and chicken feathers and turned into fashion items.

At the turn of the century, stylish and wealthy women were wearing feather top covered hats. In the 1980s, women were wearing whole bodies of birds on hats and clothing. The more exotic or unique the hat design and feather display, the larger the sale. Trading internationally, many exotic and native bird species border on extinction.

The use of the feather has played a significant part in personal adornment, ceremonial dress, and customary dress and is a sign of high status across many cultures. The use of the feather is often considered to be exotic or primitive. Does a rare bird create the exotic label, and what do we consider to be primitive? Is it in the form of some otherness that doesn’t comply with European ideals, or is it something outside of that? It is that ‘other’ that defines who we are and how we represent ourselves as the other in a contemporary context?

Myths and legends are often stories of superhuman beings, natural phenomena or of social customs that exist in a cultural context. They shape how we think and give us a sense of where we came from. These myths or superstitions are often of conflicting stories. This is what defines our difference. In India it is common practice to create a fan out of peacock feathers. This is kept in the house more as a protective device than a means of keeping cool. The peacock feather is used to ward off evil or mad spirits and is revered in many cultures, but the situation is reversed in the west where peacock feathers are considered to be a sign of bad luck.

‘The eye of the feather is watching over you’. There is a nice parallel when discussing customary traditions of the past and the present. Why are we curious as a culture to redress or understand the past, when we were not part of it? Does it give us a sense of belonging or do we merely identify with it because we were born into its history?

I think it’s about the unknowing, not being able to define or answer why things have happened in the past and why we see so many similarities within cultures. If feather adornment is the only thing that doesn’t separate cultural values then maybe it is what defines us.

This solo exhibition set out to redress similarities within cultures through customary dress and design. There are many historical factors that make up cultural design patterns. This is something that I have drawn on; referencing the traditions of the past and the importance of design that identifies with its origins. What was important in the making of this work was that the pattern was repetitive, continuous, playing back on its self. I wanted to achieve a rhythmic quality through the repetitive sewing and this was exploited also by the characteristics of the feathers.

There are a number of relationships being explored with each work. Most significant is the continuous feather patterning and representation of each canvas which continues from one to the other. Directly the patterning is referencing the Kahu huruhuru traditions, feather accessories and fashion garments, these patterns are sourced from different periods and cultures yet show strong similarities. Cultural adornment extends traditions of how things are done, said or handed down.

The works needed to have a relationship to tell a story. A story told by the title of the work, taonga worn by ancestors before us; birds and of mythical stories. A story that tells the importance and status of an owner’s garment and illustrates how important the past is on the present.