AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND—Te Ao Māori News reports that an eighteenth-century Maori war cloak, or pauku, gifted to Durham University’s Oriental Museum in 1971 and held in storage there for decades, has been repatriated to the Auckland Museum. The pauku was spotted in the Oriental Museum’s collection by visiting Maori experts, who worked with museum staff to ensure its safety. Only five such cloaks are known to exist. Densely woven with single-pair, weft twining, the thick textile would have been hardened with water, mud, and other substances. It could then be held against the torso or arm during combat to help absorb strikes, explained master Maori weaver Kahutoi Te Kanawa. Staff members at the Auckland Museum have prioritized the conservation and presentation of the rare pauku. To read about excavations of a Maori village, go to "Around the World: New Zealand."
