Onekaka willow harvest an annual community celebration
Onekaka basketmaker Peter Greer, above, ties down bundles of harvested willow shoots or ‘wands’, ready to take back to his workshop. Below, the workers continue the tradition. Photos Gerard Hindmarsh.
An annual ritual was held at Onekaka last Saturday when basketmaker Peter (Pete) Greer cut his willow.
More correctly, 50 or so of his friends turned up with secateurs and loppers to cut the concentrated quarter-acre patch of willows he cultivates on the river flat beside Dogan Creek, which runs through the property he shares with his partner Kristeen Campbell. The day had the whiff of a community agrarian happening that could have been timeless. It is the 23rd year that this event has been held, and is a tribute to the community who have participated.
The crew worked steadily all through the afternoon, systematically cutting down the rows of thickly sprouting stems, which were sorted and bundled until the task was done. Once the huge trailer-load of cut willow was all packed away, the traditional celebratory party began. This has always involved a veritable food feast, with local musicians and singers often providing the entertainment later in the evening. This year the Baxendale family of Pakawau came together to provide their unique band sounds and were supported by Ruben Lee, Jonnie Hanlon, Billy and ‘Beef’ Kerrisk, along with Andy Cole, who all performed into the night and got everyone up and rockin’ in their socks. Sorting through the huge pile of gumboots on the porch to find your own to go home in can sometimes be the ultimate test at the end of the night.
Says Pete Greer: “It’s always been a great way to get my willow harvested in a single day. But more importantly, it’s a coming together of community to celebrate a traditional harvest festival. Much the same people come every year, not all from Onekaka either. When it first started, parents brought their babies along and now those babies are turning up to help as 20-year-olds. It has evolved with the years and become a tradition.”
Pete planted the first willows on his 4.8 hectare property in 1982. Only a few of the hundreds of species and varieties belonging to the willow (Salix) family are suitable for basketry. In Pete’s case, for his Willow Works business, he uses the English osier or basket willows—Salix viminalis, Salix purpurea, Salix triandra—all of which he grows at Onekaka. These are harvested in winter when the trees are dormant. The wands, which grow between one and three metres high, are snipped off at the stump (more correctly stool) just above ground level.
The methods of processing and weaving the willow have scarcely changed through the centuries. Basketry is one of the world’s oldest crafts, pre-dating even pottery. Once every European village had their own basketmakers, who often grew all their own willow.
Different processing techniques are employed depending on the product and colour required. To get “whites”, the willow is stood in water until the leaves appear, then stripped. To produce “buffs” they have to be boiled for 10 to 12 hours so that the tannins stain the willow before the bark is removed. “Browns” come from willow used au naturel, straight off the tree, with the bark left on.
After being dried, sorted and stored, the willow is soaked again before use to make it more supple. Although much of Pete’s stripping is now done by machine, he still hand-strips for the “whites” and larger rods. His products include a range of domestic baskets, besom or old-style witches’ brooms, bean-frames, and even the odd shade umbrella, as seen at the Mussel Inn.
Nowadays, though the New Zealand basket market may be flooded with cheap Asian imports, Pete has found that the market for the well-crafted European-style baskets he makes has never faltered.
“The demand is higher than ever. A good basket can last a lifetime. And these baskets start off with a whole load of willing community effort. How good can that be?”
Gerard Hindmarsh
