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Cut pile embroidered raffia cloth., These textiles are made by the Kuba people of the Kasai river area of Central Zaire. A plain weave raffia fabric was woven by the men and embroidered by the women with great accuracy and skill. The fine lines of the design are stitched with dyed raffia and the pile areas are stitched with groups of fine raffia fibres which are then cut to short even lengths. The abstract designs are often similar to wood carvings, house decorations and the ritual body scars of both men and women. These cloths display wealth and prestige on ceremonial occasions. They assume great importance at funerals where they reaffirm enduring social relationships and, as burial cloths, indicate adherence to belief in after life.

Wooden adze haft. Handle is round in cross section and chisel marks visible on surface, darkened near the grip. Triangular platform at the distal end, with notches and a deep groove at the edge. A mount is lashed with plaited fibre into the hollow groove, projecting beyond the platform. The mount has a deep rectangular groove, open at one end, for inserting an adze. It appears to be made using metal tools.

Complete kahawai lure. Curved wooden shank with notches at head and base for lashings. White iridescent shell inlay, broken near the centre. Muka lashings at head and base. Twisted cord attached at head with a nail sticking out of the cord. Some feathers attached to muka at the base. Curved bone point with internal barb.

Complete kahawai lure. Curved wooden shank with notches at head and base for lashings. White iridescent shell inlay. Muka lashings at head and base. Twisted cord attached at head. Straight iron point with internal barb.

Fragment of woven harakeke (flax). Woven with undyed fine whenu (strands) using a takitahi (over one, under one) pattern. Tapiki (finish) along three side edges fits techniques used to complete whariki (mat) edges. Fine remnants of hukahuka (tags) woven from two ply muka (flax fiber) using the miro (rolling) technique visible towards the centre.

Single Poi Kanga (corn husk poi). Corn husk has been wrapped longitudinally from the internal base of the cob around spherical ball or stuffing and secured with muka (flax fibre) cord. Evidence of burn marks to the outside leaves. Muka cord formed via miro (rolling) inserted into top of poi terminating in a knot. Early and modern weavers frequently experimented with corn husk in weaving due to its easy availability, ease of preparation and its ability to mimic or replicate natural native materials.

Complete kahu huruhuru. There are kiwi feathers in the centre of the kahu huruhuru, with a green feather border; 5cm on the left side and 6cm border on the right side.There is a purple and grey herringbone stitch border at the top edge, and a gold and black twine at the bottom edge. There are two lengths of harakeke twine with loops at the end that are worked along the top edge, approximately 15cm from the right and left sides.

Complete kahu kuri cloak. The kaupapa (body) is woven in close, single pair pukapuka (twining) except for occasional rows of whatuaho rua (double pair twining) which are woven tightly with a small gap used for a guide to sew the dogskin strip. The kurupatu (fringe collar) is made with a dogskin strip. The kahu kuri is covered with small tufts of dog fur, lighter around the sides, darker through the middle. There are areas of the cloak where the fur has thinned, showing the dog skin strips. The edges of the cloak, under the fur, are woven with darker fibres, in an almost chevron pattern. There is a modern support pillow and velcro strip attached to the inside of the cloak.

Unfinished paepaeroa cloak, in process of manufacture. The paepaeroa cloak is supported on two weaving sticks (turuturu). The starting decorative (taniko) border forms a side of the cloak (kahu) when worn. The body of the cloak (kaupapa) is twined row by row from left to right, and red wool is worked in to form a decorative finish for the neck edge on the right of the cloak. The warp (whenu) for the lower taniko border is attached at this stage and lies ready at the left to be worked when the rest of the garment is complete. The cloak is then turned back 90 degrees and the taniko border worked. The taniko on this paepaeroa cloak is 5cm wide, using dyed black wool, with a triangle pattern worked in white and red wool. The weaving sticks taper slightly at the bottom, and reduced at the top with knob to secure the paepaeroa to. Between the two weaving sticks the paepaeroa is secured to a metal rod.

Complete pouraka (small fish trap). Trap consists of two wooden hoops with two sticks overlapping above, lashed with muka fibre. A net of woven flax is stretched over the two hoops, with an opening in the centre.

Two complete pounamu pendants, tied together with red cloth. One pendant is dark green, with a ground surface. Oval shape with a lenticular cross section. Indentation on one side edge of the distal end. Suspension hole at the proximal end, but difficult to determine more about it due to cloth. Other pendant is dark green, with a ground surface and a rectangular shape and cross section. Tapered to the proximal end, which has a suspension hole. Distal end is chipped on one side. Cloth is dark red with some light brown on edges. Frayed and tied in several knots.

Complete pake (rain cape) made of flax and tussock. Thick plaited muka fibre at the top edge, with smaller plaited ties attached. Top third is bordered with a shorter layer of fibre. Bottom edge is uneven.

Complete comb, manufactured from 19 splinters of wood, including two thinker end pieces. These splinters are connected together by a long length of two-ply fibre that weaves the pieces together. The distal end of the end pieces have knobs that project outwards.

Complete comb, manufactured from 22 slivers of wood, with two being thicker end pieces. These tines are strapped together with thin fibre. The thicker end pieces has matching heads that face outwards at the distal end. Both chins are slightly damaged, with one laterally perforated.

Large taha huahua (calabash container) consisting of a gourd inside a woven kete and a wooden frame. Gourd is dark brown/dark orange, with the top cut off to create a wide opening. There are four perforations around the rim of the gourd opening (only one is intact), used for fitting a tuki (wooden mouthpiece). Kete is woven in a under-one, over-one plait, using alternating black and natural unscraped flax. A plaited muka cord is tied around the kete opening, forming a series of loops and lashings around the wooden frame, as well as creating a handle. The wooden frame consists of two hoops around the kete and four legs, which rest diagonally to the calabash.

Complete kahawai lure. Curved paua shell shank with serrations along edges. Muka lashings and twisted cord at head and base. Straight bone point with internal barb and external notch. Point and lashings at base appear to be burnt.

Complete kahawai lure. Curved wooden shank with notches at head and base. Muka lashings across notches and cord at head. Paua shell inlay. Bone point is complete and straight with internal barb. Orange and yellow feathers attached by lashings at the base.

Rourou (food bowl). Woven with ten whenu (strands) of harakeke (flax) from the centre outwards in a takitahi pattern. Completed by trimming left over whenu on the interior with outer whenu tucked back into the weave of the bowl. Tied with a small piece of harakeke to secure. Four whenu are woven into a round four ply whiri (plait) used to make a handle. Rourou were frequently constructed as single or limited use items as they were quick and easy to weave.

Paraerae (sandal) woven from harakeke (flax). Two whenu (strands) are overplayed for reinforcement and woven using the takirua (over two, under two) pattern. Braided tapiki (finish) along the heel ends with long harakeke (50mm) added as a cushioning element adhered via looping and threading through wefts. Three ply whiri (braid) woven with muka (flax fiber) is threaded in six loops around the outside of the sandal and a muka cord formed using the miro (rolled) is tied to the side of the sandal.