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Māori always regarded the kiwi as a special bird. They knew it as 'te manu huna a Tāne', the hidden bird of Tāne, god of the forest. Kiwi feather cloaks (kahu kiwi), originally made by sewing kiwi skins together, were taonga (treasures) usually reserved for chiefs. Kiwi feathers, now woven into flax cloaks, are still valued. Māori also ate kiwi, preserving them in the birds' fat, and steaming them in a hāngī (earth oven).

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