Demonstration of extracting Muka (NZ Flax Fiber)

The Material we use for this is NZ Flax/Harakeke/Phormium Tenax and a wild green-lipped mussel shell (NZ Native).
As per my other videos, this one is merely a demonstration, NOT a tutorial. I am a firm believer of face to face learning and Muka extraction, in particular, has so man variables attached to it that it would be hard to mention all of them in a tutorial. A lot depends also on experience but mostly it is a good idea to have a tutor who can sit with you and show you when you go wrong or right.
NOTE: I am saying "should" - not can 'only' be learned face to face... if you have the patience and talent and a good online teacher you can learn this online too but I am not the teacher for you (I lack the patience...lol) - Sorry there was a misunderstanding about this.
This Fiber is called Muka, it is one of the strongest Plant fibres in the world and even withstands Saltwater, which is why it has been so highly prized both by Maori and later Europeans as well.
If you would like to learn more contact me through my FB page (Flaxworx NZ) or website (www.flaxworx.co.nz) or follow me on Instagram (flaxworxnz)
By the way, I have been asked about the T-Shirt I am wearing - you may want to look at my friends in Scotland up for more info or support: www.thebrochpr... :-)

[@IronGoober]

Wonderful demonstration. I have not seen the extraction done so fluidly before.

[@colettekyle1961]

Thanks so much for posting this, Ali. I am learning to weave through TWOA but of course with lock-down our progress has been suspended for a while. So I just wanted to say that I appreciate being able to watch you on KZbin when I wonder how to do something. Usually I realise how much I have to learn but your videos have satisfied my curiosity until I can ask my tutors. Ngā mihi.

[@Flaxworx]

Ah thank you Colette! if you stuck, I can also try and help via pm sometimes :-) Have a great day and enjoy your weaving journey!

[@latoyainu9264]

Wow, yes I'm learning through twoa too (Rotorua) and we are now learning online which is tough for a novice like me lol. I like watching these videos for any tips and techniques 😊

[@mymai2792]

Tumeke...awesome. Thank you for this demonstration.

[@Flaxworx]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Mylifebyon6424]

A great video thanku, i agree that muka extraction shud b taught kanohi ki te kanohi bcoz of the questions asked within the process as well as seeing how the muka is extracted. I struggled with the extracting wen i was learning and having sumone there jus made it so much better to persevere until i got it

[@Flaxworx]

Thank you!

[@deirdrecooper124]

I agree should be in person. I have beautiful muka rich harekeke from the beautiful national collection. I am hoping to create a piupiu for my daughters kapahaka. I am making the best of a difficult lockdown to create! Enjoy your conversation! Take care.

[@Flaxworx]

Thank you, Deirdre! Yes, some of mine come from there too and I have been lucky to be able to harvest from there on occasion.. from the mother plants so to speak. That is when I noticed that they are different by region and location...they may have the same name but react differently. That is something one can not learn from a video, it is experience and personal knowledge:-)

[@deirdrecooper124]

Learnt lots just hearing you talk all about your harvest experience take care

[@ppwhatkakarana3185]

Love it

[@MereanaTPT]

Thank you for your video's. Can you use any mussel shell?? I've been using a butter knife, but it doesn't come off cleanly 🤣🤣. Alot of membrane and green still on it.

[@Flaxworx]

Apologies for the the late reply Mereana! Green lipped Kutai shells (wild ones at that, not farmed) are best but I have a friend who makes replica's from resin (plastic) and they work too. They still need to be sharpened a bit. You can order them through Flax and Fiber (website and facebook). When it comes to muka there are a lot of factors. I do know many people who use a knife (not a butter knife though) and it works well for them but they have the absolute perfect harakeke for that. Some cultivars tend to have the para stick more than others and then the mussel shell really comes into its own.

[@xavierg2950]

Would you say the ndividual strands are thin enough to be used as floss?

[@Flaxworx]

ouch - they would be too thin actually - they can be very, very sharp and cut very easily so I would not use them for flossing at all out of fear of cuts...:-)

[@ollieolliver2693]

I've been making muka by scraping and this looks much, much more effective! I'd love to learn to do this but I've no idea who could teach me. I can't travel far, and if someone did offer to show me I have no idea what an appropriate koha would be. I'm in West Auckland, do you have any idea who and how I should go about learning more?

[@Flaxworx]

Kia Ora Ollie, tricky that one - we learnt at Unitec but I know that Te Wananga O Aotearoa back in the day did not teach it, maybe they do now - I am not sure. I also know there are a few weavers groups around Auckland but I do not know if any of their members know how to make muka - Papakura Marae has an active weavers group if I remember correctly but there are others but I am not so up to date since we moved away from Auckland. It is certainly not an easy thing to learn (took me over a week to get semi-reasonable results and many more weeks to get really good at it...). Many give up after a few tries sadly. I'd say google weaving classes etc in Auckland and then approach the tutors of those if they know how to make muka... I think Howick Historic Village was thinking of a holiday class as well... Good luck in any case - best thing to know how to do in my book:-)

[@synmalika3656]

whay kind of leaf is it?

[@Flaxworx]

I say it in the video and on the title - NZ Flax/Harakeke/Phormium Tenax

[@tAutAuAbha]

Ka mihi aroha :)