Masi and Fijian crafts in colour

from w
I added coloured pencils to the sketch of barkcloth, whale's tooth, garland, etc. to show the real colours. The decorations in Fijian homes are typically in earth colours if there are items such as barkcloth. Here the stencilled barkcloth is not symmetrical in design as shown by the brown painted on the right-hand side. The pignments may be made from mangrove roots or soot mixed with oil. You don't see much masi making in Fiji these days but I was happy to see recently that Lorini Tevi has an on-going project in Suva with a Lauan woman teaching women and girls this craft at Lorini's Ecumenical Centre.

Barkcloth and whale's tooth

from w
Still grounded with a bad cough so I ain't going anywhere. So I just drew one view inside the lounge room which includes barkcloth, a garland made of hibiscus fibre rosettes, a whale's tooth, a vase and a book.

(added later)

In the Fiji Times I saw a photo of Tui Macuata and a pile of tabua whales teeth, a huge pile, and this photo shows the context in which whales teeth are given and received - usually as just one, but in some ceremonies a huge number which is a very costly and extravagant exercise to someone outside the Fijian culture. After the final ceremony at Naduri, the tabua would be re-districtuted amongst the people of Macuata as a thank you for the week of hospitality.