Aotearoa New Zealand · Weaving / Architectural Craft
Tukutuku
Tukutuku (lattice panels) are the woven panels that alternate with carved poupou (posts) on the interior walls of the Māori wharenui — creating the visual rhythm of carving and weaving that defines the meeting house interior. Tukutuku uses a framework of vertical wooden rods (kaho) and horizontal wooden rods (poutāhora) through which strips of kiekie (Freycinetia banksii — a climbing plant), pingao (Ficinia spiralis — golden sand sedge), or dyed harakeke are woven in specific geometric patterns. The defining technical knowledge is the pattern lock-in: tukutuku patterns are set by the first two rows — once the first two rows are correct, every subsequent row follows from them automatically. 'If the first two rows are wrong, everything is wrong. If they are right, everything is right.'
Risk level: Critically Endangered · New Zealand national ICH list; component of wharenui heritage designation
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