Importance Of Fijian Mats

It was about the art of mat making.

Importance of fijian mats.

In fiji mats were considered an important element in the wealth of the fijian family and were traditionally given at weddings funerals or during the visits of high chiefs. Valuable fijian mats are made in navakasobu village. Before the arrival of christianity yaqona was a ritual drink reserved for chiefs and priests. Fijian woman making mats from w peceli brought back two fine mats for me one made from voivoi the other from kuta.

We found out early on our trip that kuta mats are the most valuable mats in fiji and kuta wedding outfits are more expensive than the masi tapa cloth type wedding dresses as kuta weaves are more difficult to make. Nearly all fijian girls learn how to weave mats and baskets craft pottery and make bark cloth for ceremonial and home purposes. I have about twenty mats now so we share them with relatives and friends. This drink more correctly called yaqona and colloquially called grog is made from an infusion of powdered roots from piper methysticum a type of pepper plant.

Nowadays gathering around a kava bowl. Few visitors will spend time in fiji without being offered to join a kava ceremony at least once. The long process of preparation includes scraping and boiling the leaves and drying them in the sun. Electricity has made television radio video and movies all popular forms of entertainment in fijian cities towns and villages.

The term fijian in this article refers to indigenous fijians or i taukei as the term fijian generally includes all citizens of fiji. Traditional crafts made by fijian women include pottery woven mats and bark cloth. Fijian smile shines while the hands are busy weaving a kuta mat. The traditional bure fijian home is constructed from plaited pandanus or palm fronds.

Almost every home in fiji whether in a village or town has at least several mats for use as rugs or for sleeping on. The culture of fiji is a tapestry of native fijian indian european chinese and other nationalities culture polity traditions language food costume belief system architecture arts craft music dance and sports will be discussed in this article to give you an indication of fiji s indigenous community but also the various communities which make up fiji as a modern culture and living. The fijian word taukei. The fiji times online recently ran an article written by sikeli qounadovu titled passing on a dying art that i found interesting and would like to summarize for you.

Boys learn to carve kava bowls spears war clubs and the ever popular cannibal fork mainly for the island s busy tourist trade. Pandanus mats are woven into floor coverings bedrolls fans and baskets. Fijian tradition and ceremony is a living way of life that has remained intact for millennia evolving as the fijian nation has modernised over time with various external influences from pacific neighbours and european and asian society. Although the event does not carry any of the ceremonial importance that it used to.