“Te Rā: The Māori Sail” (Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, Aotearoa New Zealand) and “Te Rā: Navigating Home” (Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, on view through August 17, 2025.)
It has been incredibly special to see Te Rā, the only known customary Māori woven sail, return for the first time in over two hundred years to our shores in Aotearoa.
On loan from the British Museum, it was first shown at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and then toured to Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, where it is currently on display.
The Auckland exhibition contextualizes Te Rā within the revitalization of weaving, situating it between Hine Marama and Māhere Tū ki te Rangi, two recently woven sails by the master weavers of Te Rā Ringa Raupā. Mentored by Dr. Maureen Lander, the group spent years researching Te Rā in the collection storage of the British Museum and figuring out how the intricately woven sail was made.
They are currently sharing this invaluable knowledge with multiple weaving collectives throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, teaching them how to make their own sails. A prerequisite for these groups is that the sail must be made to go on a waka and on the water. It must be used!
