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South Pacific Handicrafts
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Most South Pacific handicrafts feature either wood carvings, like the larger islands of Melanesia, or baskets and other woven items found throughout the smaller islands of Polynesia and Micronesia where hard woods are scarce.
The most prolific wood carvers are from the larger Melanesian islands of Papua New Guinea, the Solomons and Fiji, and to a lesser extent the Polynesian islands of Samoa, Tahiti and the Cook Island. War clubs and ancient religious statues are the most common symbols both in ancient times and for the present day tourist trade. Most carvings are hand created by local artisans using small adzes and chisels.
The coconut tree, along with pandanus leaves are the most commonly used materials on the Polynesian and Micronesian islands. There are three main materials that come from the coconut tree - the trunk, the fronds and the nuts. The trunk itself is difficult to work with, but when it is hollowed, the grain, spotted and blurred in the centre, is unusual and pleasing to the eye.
Palm fronds, on the other hand, have a variety of uses, mostly for weaving. They are cut from the tree and woven whilst green and still easy to work with. The mid rib of the frond, which is hard but supple, has a single strand along its length that helps strengthen it. This is removed and kept aside to make another common household item, the household broom. For basket weaving purposes, the frond, minus its strand, are folded and the spindly leaves that attach each side are swiftly plaited together. Almost every islander can put one of these baskets together in less than ten minutes. Up to one hundred of these simple baskets are made to carry the vast quantities of food that are synonymous with the Pacific feast. But feasting over, these lovely baskets are discarded in piles as simply as they were made. Coconut hats are woven with similar ease.
A little more care is taken when weaving the roofs and walls of traditional houses. Instead of weaving together both halves of the frond, the mid rib is sliced down the middle and each half is woven independently. Once plaited, they are left in the sun to dry and stiffen before they are draped over the frames of houses and secured using a string that also has its origin from the coconut. But the practice of building traditional homes from the natural materials surrounding them is dwindling to the point of scarcity. Concrete and iron dwellings are more ascetic in most islanders' minds and appear stronger in the face of cyclones. Stronger they may be, but the damage wrought on them is irreplaceable without money or insurance policies. A house made from wood and coconut fronds, though blown over in cyclones, takes only a month at most to rebuild and costs next to nothing. Moreover, in the hot humid climate of the Pacific they are much cooler than the modern homes.
The most valued material of many of the South Pacific islands, particularly the tiny coral atolls of Micronesia and Polynesia, is commonly known as ta'a. This fine material comes from the unopened shoot at the top of the coconut tree. It is delicate but strong and requires a considerable amount of preparation before it can be used for weaving. The outcome of several days work is a small handful of thin strips which once prepared are boiled to make them white. These strips are intricately woven by the more creative and skilled crafts' women of the islands into hats, small baskets and fans. These are the handicrafts synonymous with the South Pacific.
The difficult art of preparing and weaving ta'a is traditionally passed down the generations from mother to daughter. But as is the case of many of the smaller islands where education is not very advanced, the daughters are being sent to schools in Australia and New Zealand and the learning cycle of traditional art is being broken. Unfortunately, where once a beautifully woven basket sat on the table, they have now been replaced by a more convenient and durable plastic container with the words Made In China on its underside.
The last source of material comes from the coconut itself. Every nut is covered by a thick and fibrous husk, and it is from the stringy fibres that a sinew is made. The sinew, known in Samoa as magimagi, has both practical and artistic uses. In traditional life, before the introduction of nails and synthetic string, it was used to weave tough sandals that gave protection to fishermen when walking the treacherously sharp reefs. The string would also be used for many types of weaving, from fish traps and carpets to the strong binding required to hold thatch houses together.
Tapa cloth, otherwise known as Masi is a delicate cloth used in many parts of the Pacific. The cloth is made from the timely preparation of the bark of the mulberry plant. On maturity, at one year, the plant is cut and the long stem stripped of its bark and immediately soaked in water. Once supple, the rough outer skin is pealed off and discarded, the inner flesh being used to make the cloth. In Ekubu village on Vatulele in Fiji, from sunrise to sunset, the continuous sound of beating can be heard throughout the village. The village women, who become hard of hearing with age, spend their entire lives pounding the fleshy bark, layer upon layer, until a flat paper cloth is prepared. The cloths, usually 20" by 14" are then sold to Joanna at about F$15 per piece, who in turn sells them to an Indian middle man in Sigatoka. For a few dollars extra, the cloths are designed by stencil with traditional patterns using natural dyes. Tapa is also widely used in Tonga and to a lesser extent in Samoa but has completely died out in the Cook Island.
Cultured black pearls are the new art form of the Pacific. These beautiful objects are meticulously farmed in the still lagoons of the outer islands of French Polynesia and the northern Cook Islands. Black Pearl shops abound in both Papeete and Avarua on Rarotonga and can be purchased loose, or in a wide array of jewellery and other craft forms.
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