Report from Angela Duckwall, National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, N.Z.
Angela Duckwall works on a Niue barkcloth at the National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington.
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3:22 p.m., Aug. 21, 2009----I'm a second-year fellow with a textile specialty and an interest in domestic and ritual textiles from traditional cultures. My summer work project is in New Zealand at the National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa), where I've been able to work with exciting objects and experience a bicultural institution.

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Te Papa is invested in melding traditional Maori beliefs and practices with traditional museum practices, which therefore creates a unique and educational environment for the visitor and the staff. This includes ceremonies at Te Papa's Marae, a Maori sacred space. I've also been able to participate in a welcoming ceremony, or powhiri, and a Matariki dawn ceremony for the Maori new year.

While at Te Papa, I've worked on a Niue barkcloth and the decorative textile and fur collar on a Maori Taiaha, a long fighting staff. I also will be working on a Maori kete, a woven plant fiber bag, and a Maori puipui, a New Zealand flax skirt.

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