He matū hei whakaū i te kano i roto i te tukanga tae i te harakeke, i te kiekie, i te papanga rānei. Ka whakamahia e te Māori tētahi momo paru hei tūmau kano. He pūhui rino kei roto i tēnei momo paru, koia hei tauhohe me te tae, e mau ai te kano. Arā anō hoki ētahi atu tūmau kano pūmatū.
A substance which fixes the colour in the dyeing process for flax, kiekie or fabric. Māori use a certain type of mud as a mordant. It contains compounds of iron which react with the dye to fix the colour. There are also many other types of chemical mordants.