Cloth of ages

Nikau Hindin (Te Rarawa, Ngapuhi) is reviving the ancient art of making aute (Maori barkcloth or tapa cloth) – a skill that, up until now, hadn’t been practised here for over a century. She is based in Gisborne, where she gained her masters of creative practice at Toihoukura, the School of Māori Visual Art & Design, following her honours degree in fine arts at the University of Auckland.

‘Aute’ is the name of both the paper mulberry plant and the finished barkcloth. When the aute plant is 18 months old, it’s cut; I make an incision in the bark and peel it off the stalk. This leaves the white,