Catherine Ann Smith

Identification of selected vegetable textile fibres

Abstract This article reviews the literature on the identification of vegetable textile fibres [1], more commonly known as plant or cellulose fibres. Identification of such fibres can have important implications (authentication, cultural information, development of treatment protocols) in numerous conservation specialisations, including ethnographic objects, textiles, paper and easel paintings. The fibres discussed in this article are those that The Textile Institute (Manchester, UK) defines as being vegetable fibres; cotton, kapok, coir, flax, hemp, jute, kenaf, ramie, abacá (manilla), henequen, New Zealand flax and sisal [1]. The methods described include those that require only simple equipment, as well as methods that are more sophisticated, needing complex scientific instruments and trained personnel. The advantages and disadvantages of the methods are discussed. General and specific diagnostic features for each of the fibres are provided (Table 1).

Consolidation of Black-dyed Māori Textile Artefacts: Evaluating the Efficacy of Sodium Alginate

ABSTRACT Black-dyed artefacts are found in museums worldwide, many produced using an iron-tannate compound. Deterioration of iron-tannate dyed artefacts is an international preservation issue: in New Zealand the deterioration of paru (iron-tannate) dyed Māori textiles is widespread. This article reports experimental work testing the efficacy of sodium alginate, a consolidant developed for deteriorated paru-dyed muka (fibre from harakeke; Phormium tenax). The colour stability, strength retention, and acidity of paru-dyed muka consolidated with sodium alginate (0.25, 0.5, and 1% w/v in water) was tested pre- and post-artificial light ageing. This study found that sodium alginate had no negative effect on paru-dyed muka and in some cases provided benefit. Interestingly, the colour of paru-dyed muka is substantially more stable in UV-filtered light than previously recognised. Also microfading results were in agreement with visual assessments of colour change at 1 Mlux hour exposure, providing confidence in this relatively new technique to assess colour change.

Identification of historical plant material using micro-computed tomography

Abstract This work investigates the use of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for identification of New Zealand plant leaf material from artefacts. Micro-CT was explored as a result of difficulties in preparing transverse sections from aged plant material artefacts to compare with reference slides for microscopic identification of plant species. Plant names in te reo Māori (Māori language) are followed by the English name and botanic name, and are subsequently referred to by Māori names. The three plants investigated (harakeke, New Zealand flax, Phormium tenax, J. R. Forst & G. Forst; tī kōuka, cabbage tree, Cordyline australis, (Forst.f.) Endl,; kiekie, Frecinetia banksii A.Cunn.) were/are commonly used by Māori for the manufacture of objects often found in cultural institutions. Contemporary and historical specimens (from artefacts) of plant leaf material were investigated. Contemporary specimens were viewed using micro-CT and showed identifiable features compared with micrographs of transverse sections from reference material. Diagnostic features of each plant species were then named and measured, providing the basis for development of an identification key using both visual and objective criteria. Positive identification of historical specimens using this key varied across plant species and according to level of ageing and processing. Despite this, micro-CT had several advantages over traditional transverse sections: samples were not prepared for, or altered by, analysis, and numerous cross sections across the entire sample could be easily viewed to locate identifiable characteristics. Although measurable criteria supplied apply only to the three named New Zealand plant species, this paper provides methods that could be applied to the identification of other aged plant leaf material. Knowledge of plant anatomy at the level of major cell and tissue types (e.g. mesophyll, sclerenchyma, vascular tissue, and epidermis) is sufficient for the level of analysis carried out in this study.

What's in a Name? The Practice and Politics of Classifying Māori Textiles

Abstract Textiles form an important part of Māori culture, of interest to Europeans since contact with New Zealand in 1642. The need to describe Māori textiles in English has determined the terminology chosen to describe them, and also affected understandings of Māori weaving. Ethnographic observation and recording of Māori textile production by European non-weavers, inaccurate translation of Māori words, as well as incorrect use of terms have all contributed to difficulties in understanding Māori textile structures. The development of current terminology for describing Māori textiles is discussed, highlighting how it arises as a result of temporal, cultural and political factors, and the consequent importance of names. The values implicit in names given to Māori textiles then affect knowledge, scholarship and communication of their attributes. One Māori textile form, rāranga, illustrates how basing classification on structure alone could clarify understanding, remove implicit value judgements, and enable accurate communication of the properties of artefacts.

USE AND IDENTIFICATION OF TIKUMU (CELMISIA SPECIES, ASTERACEAE) IN ARTIFACTS OF NEW ZEALAND ORIGIN

Abstract Uses of tikumu made from largeleaved Celmisia by Māori to construct items of dress are reviewed. leaf and wharawhara properties of large-leaved Celmisia species are described to aid employees in cultural institutions in identifying and better conserving tikumu in artifacts originating from new Zealand. four species (C. coriacea, C. holosericea, C. monroi, and C. semicordata) can be stripped to yield wharawhara. Unlike other vegetable fibers, wharawhara is identifiable to species using measurements of thickness, length, length-to-width ratio, and presence of an apparent midrib. the three subspecies within the widespread Celmisia semicordata produce large pieces of wharawhara with a distinctive v-shape. Material historically identified as C. coriacea is most likely from one of these three widespread subspecies of C. semicordata, which until 1980 were included within C. coriacea. a range of the larger-leaved species, several of which occur at lower altitudes, would have been suitable for other uses involving whole leaves, and in most cases can be identified to species based on leaf size, thickness and surface features.

CONSERVATION OF A MĀORI EEL TRAP: PRACTICAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES

Abstract The paper discusses ethical approaches to the conservation of indigenous material culture. The development of a method to treat a Māori eel net is described in the context of community consultation. Storage and display of the eel net in a museum environment had resulted in severe deterioration and a poor appearance. Consultation with the traditional owners of the eel net showed clear desires for its repair and display in a manner that recognized its cultural value. The positioning of the eel trap in a cultural context as taonga determined the direction and nature of the conservation treatment that followed. An interventive conservation treatment was undertaken over a period of five months to prepare the object for display. The project required testing of adhesives and tissues, stabilization of plant material, in-filling of large areas of loss and the design of a complex mounting system. A Māori weaver with traditional skills worked with conservators to develop techniques for repair.

Māori Textiles from Puketoi Station, Otago, New Zealand

Abstract A group of Māori textile artefacts were discovered in a rock shelter in the southern South Island of New Zealand in 1895. The assemblage comprised a significant number of textile and textile-related artefacts including large and small bags, footwear and prepared leaf and fibre for textile production. The artefacts were privately owned until the 1920s when they were acquired by the Otago Museum, remaining there until new techniques made further investigation possible. This paper presents information from an interdisciplinary investigation of the Puketoi Station assemblage of textile artefacts, which examined artefact structure, form and function, and materials of construction. Interpretation of these artefacts using contemporary textile analysis methods, traditional weaving knowledge, and recent archaeological research, turns them from static objects into dynamic components of culture. The Puketoi Station artefacts embody and illustrate a unique material culture associated with the late prehistoric southern New Zealand Māori lifestyle.

Micro-computed tomography for plant identification in artefacts

Heading] In New Zealand the identification of materials of construction of Māori textiles has important cultural and legal connotations. However the identification of aged and processed plant material in artefacts is difficult, compounded by the need for use of nondestructive analytical methods. This paper will discuss the application, efficacy and implications of a new method that uses micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) together with an identification key as evaluative criteria for the identification of plant material in artefacts. Case studies using Māori textiles will show how plant identification using microCT can aid in ascribing cultural context to artefacts with unknown provenance, and aid in rediscovery of cultural knowledge about plant use for artefact production.

Re-examining conservation precepts; implications for conservation education

In recognising a changing social future, this paper posits that the future relevance and sustainability of conservation is dependent on a re-evaluation of our professional precepts, ethics, and working practices to more fully embrace and reflect interdisciplinary and cross-cultural ways of working. It argues that conservators must locate our practice within overarching global issues of poverty, human rights, ethics, climate change and sustainability. The implications for conservation pedagogy are examined, and the benefits of collaboration between universities and industry partners are discussed. RÉSUMÉ Prenant acte de l’évolution de la société, cet article postule que la pertinence future et la durabilité de la conservation exigent une réévaluation de nos préceptes professionnels, de nos principes déontologiques et de nos pratiques de travail afin de mieux embrasser et refléter les méthodes de travail interdisciplinaires et interculturelles. Il avance que les restaurateurs doivent inscrire leurs pratiques dans le cadre des enjeux globaux que sont la pauvreté, les droits de l’homme, l’éthique, le changement climatique et la durabilité. Les implications pour l’enseignement de la conservation sont examinées, et les avantages d’une collaboration entre les universités et les partenaires industriels sont débattus. RESUMEN Considerando que el entorno social está y seguirá cambiando en el futuro, este artículo propone que la relevancia y la sustentabilidad de la conservación de cara al futuro dependen de la revaluación de nuestros preceptos profesionales, de nuestra ética y de nuestras MARCELLE SCOTT* Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation The University of Melbourne Melbourne, VIC, Australia mmscott@unimelb.edu.au CATHERINE SMITH Clothing and Textile Sciences/Ngä Pütaiao Püeru University of Otago/Te Whare Wänanga o Otägo Dunedin/Ötepoti, New Zealand/Aotearoa *Author for correspondence RE-EXAMINING CONSERVATION PRECEPTS – IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSERVATION EDUCATION