The weather, for Anaseini Togaca, is a major problem that affects the quality of pandanus leaves, ultimately affecting the quality of mats.
Ms Togaca was the eldest member of the Nawaikama Women’s Group from Gau in Lomaiviti, who were in Suva last week to showcase traditional craft at the National Women’s Expo.
She’s convinced that while traditional mat weavers are developing their craft and making a financially decent living out of it, the weather plays an important role in determining the quality of their work.
“The weather affects the quality of the pandanus,” she said.
“This also affects the process of making the black pandanus (somo), which is another important feature of woven mats.
“This is then cooked or boiled with other leaves and plants to help with its colour.”
Ms Togoca says weaving has brought about positive returns in terms of earnings for their families.
She also commended the positive partnerships with women from the other districts in producing and assisting each other with their handicraft items.
She said there were varieties of mats that the women from Gau specialised in weaving.
These include the kadivilivili, na bisikete, and the dakunivonu which are smaller mats, and that the use of yarn in these mats vary according to their customer’s preference.
For the bigger mats such as coco, they do not use yarn or only include it on one side of the mat.
Ms Togaca said technology and social media had also been a vital part of their financial success because it helps with the shipping and marketing of their craft.
She said relatives and loved ones help deliver their products because the women live on an island and not the mainland.
The prices of the mats sold at the expo vary according to size.
Large mats (coco) cost about $700 while others can cost as much $250.
The Nawaikama Women’s Group has been a frequent participant of the expo because it helped boost their business in terms of sales and exposure.
The 69-year-old encourages women to utilise their natural resources to bring about a decent income for their families.
As an artisan who has earned a stable living from weaving, she said the skill of weaving has created many opportunities for sale and business.
