Beautiful, one-off muka earrings made by Ngāi Te Rangi artist Shona Tāwhiao.
Muka is the prepared, white, lusturious fibre extracted from harakeke (New Zealand flax, Phormium tenax). A vital material in traditional raranga Māori (weaving), it is highly prized in te ao Māori for it's beauty, strength, health benefits and cultural significance, and is used to create high-quality textiles such as kākahu and adornments, as well as rope, lashings, and other taonga.
Shona Tāwhiao (Ngāi Te Rangi) is an award winning artist, designer and practitioner of harakeke, following mātauranga Māori practices and traditional raranga techniques as taught to her by famed Māori weaver, Kahutoi Te Kanawa.
Tāwhiao’s talent has been described as exquisite and undeniably unique, and has exhibited her distinct style of raranga work for 25 years.