THE KOKATAHI BAND
UNIFORM
The original band were gold miners, and the uniform is a representation of their
"Sunday Best".
Christmas
Parade Greymouth 2007
Frank Graham, in his lovingly-written history of the Band, "Boyangs n' Bandannas" writes:
"It was the goldminer who introduced the social garb which, many years
later, was adopted by the Kokatahi Band. Moleskin breeks were
fashionable in the 1860's and with showy shirts, sashes and bowyangs,
the miner did his drinking or courted the few eligibles offering.
In 1910, fifty years after the purchase of Westland (from the Ngai Tahu
Maori), the province celebrated a half-century of development with a
Jubilee Festival. It is generally accepted that either then, or within
two or three years afterwards, the now famous Kokatahi Band came into
existence. The original Band intended to emulate the illustrious gold
miner in his leisure. That same attitude exists with members today.
"Although a uniform similar to the Sunday clothes of the early miner was
adopted by the Band from 1914, there have been cosmetic changes made
occasionally. The official garb of the Kokatahi Band today, is a red
shirt, black bandanna, white moleskin trousers complete with bowyangs.
A black cummerbund has been replaced by a red one which is current.
"The intriguing part of the uniform is the bowyang - a piece of
leather strip similar to a heavy bootlace, tied around the leg
just beneath the knee, serving a multi-purpose. Being where it is,
the bowyang allows he knee to bend without tearing the material if the
trousers are wet and it keeps the bottom of the trouser leg out of mud
and water, so common on the early miner's access tracks around
Westland. It also served as a place for the miner to tuck his tobacco
pipe when not in use."
And at ground level the original black leather workboots are gradually giving way over the years to black leather shoes.
The uniform is the same both for the men and for the women, who've joined the Band since 1990.
