Making Maori Poi
A W-Camp '98 Workshop

Here is what I managed to learn about Maori poi. The poi is a ball attached to a length of string which is swung or beaten against the hand during traditional Maori dances. There are short poi (about 12 inches in length?) and long poi (which I saw tucked into the waistbands of the dancers' costumes and hang down to their knees). In this picture Abby is practicing with her poi with Sally Z.'s encouragement.  (Mascot Chestnut looks on from the foreground.)
 
 
 

Materials:

• yarn (red, white, and black are the traditional colors)
• facial tissue paper
• regular paper or newspaper
• plastic bag (e.g., supermarket bag)
• scissors

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1. Cut 4 pieces of yarn to about 30" length. If you are using the traditional colors you will need to double up on the color of your choice. Fold the lengths in half and tie together in an overhand knot.

2. Begin the plaiting as follows. You need 3 people ideally. One person holds the knot and the other two people each take two of the doubled over colors, one in each hand.  Overlap so that you would see person A's right hand, then person B's right hand, then person A's left hand, then person B's left hand as you look counterclockwise. Clear as mud? Good! Now person A brings her strands into the middle and switches hands so the strands  cross over the knot and travel to the opposite sides. Person B does the same. In the above photo, Debra's daughter Roseanne is helping Bev W. who is in the process of the hand-switch. Continue in this manner, pulling tight, until you reach the desired length. Finish with another overhand knot.

3. Take about 3 pieces of facial tissue and bunch in the middle so it looks like a bow tie. Tie the plaited yarn to to the tissue paper in the middle.  Cut off excess yarn.

4. Crumple 2 pieces of regular paper around the tissue paper.

5. Place the paper ball in the corner of a plastic bag. With an extra scrap of yarn, tie the bag around the plait. Knot and trim.  Now cut off the plastic bag (carefully so you don't cut the yarn) so you just have a short length above the yarn used to tie it on.