Patricia Te Arapo Wallace
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Patricia Te Arapo Wallace is a New Zealand academic specialising in Māori traditional textiles. Of Ngāti Porou descent, she is currently a research associate at the University of Canterbury.[1]
Wallace's PhD thesis, Traditional Maori dress : rediscovering forgotten elements of pre-1820 practice, examined the practises of textile production from the early contact period, based on an examination of artefacts in museums in New Zealand, the UK and America.[2] This is in contrast to traditional practises in Māori textile crafts in which knowledge is developed and transmitted on the apprenticeship or teacher-student model.
During her time as a student at the University of Canterbury she established pa harakeke (plantings of harakeke for weaving use) on campus.[3]
Wallace also edits the Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa national newsletter[3] and travels regularly to grow the understanding of Māori textile crafts.[4][5][6][7]