Voivoi Weaving

by Delia on October 6, 2011 Weaving voivoi mats is a traditional craft in Fiji and should you ever buy one, consider the many, many hours spent in their making. The actual weaving is the shortest part of the process.

Catriona learns voivoi weaving watched by Ella's family

Cutting the voivoi into strips First the women gather the pandanus leaves, going out into the countryside to gather these long, sharp blade-like leaves. Then they boil them. Then they lay them out to dry in the sun (and quickly take them back inside if theres a rain storm). Then they smooth out the long

wrinkled leaves by pulling them back and forth over a metal rod or file. Now they are ready to cut them into thin strips and finally they can begin weaving. Catriona and I worked out that it must take approximately 30 40 hours to make a 3m x 2m mat. She and I spent a fascinating 2 hours with 3 local women Killara, Ella and Kata watching and learning how to weave the mats.

Straightening the voivoi Catriona had a particular interest in the voivoi mats as she is herself a fibre sculptor. Used to the art and craft of weaving, she was able to pick up the technique quickly the rigorous sequence of bending one back, folding one forward, slipping one through.over and over. The intricacies of starting and finishing were something we never quite mastered, but Catriona managed to just about complete a small mat during our time with Ella finishing it off for her. I say we but in actual fact I never tried: I just took the photos and chatted! Its very much womens business, sitting around sociably and weaving together. Ella recounted tales of her mother teaching her the craft when she was about 16 and unpicking an afternoons efforts because they werent good enough.

Starting the mat Voivoi mats are used extensively in Fiji enter just about any Fijian village house and youll find the floor covered with three or four mats. They sell in the market in Savusavu for anything from F$80 to F$200 depending on size and when you appreciate the time and skill involved you realise that they are very good value.

The mat progresses Catriona was at Daku for Lotus Sandersons yoga retreat; her work can be viewed at fibresculptures.posterous.comHer day job

The Fijian Woven Mat

One of the most commonly used items in Fijian traditional culture is the grass mat. It is woven by hand from pandanus leaves. The long process of preparation includes scraping and boiling the leaves, and drying them in the sun. There are different mats used for different occasions, and some are made as gifts for formal occasions such as weddings. The pandanus leaves are gathered in large numbers and stored in bundles in the houses to dry out.

The patterns for utilitarian mats such as walls or floors are relatively simple because the mats are so large. But on smaller items the patterns are detailed and very artistic.The leaves are gathered and the spiny edges are stripped from the leaves which are then

dried. The dried leaves are split into long parallel strands but leaving one end whole so the strips are attached across the leaf. This makes it possible to handle a number of strands at the same time layering alternate strands in handfuls.

Once the strands are split they are lined up in a criss-cross pattern and the weaving begins. The pandanas leaves are naturally slightly different shades and the ladies make sure to arrange them in a pleasing pattern as they go.

Once the leaves have been lined up they are separated alternately and held in one hand while the other hand sweeps through and pushes down every other strand.

Now that the strands have all been separated they are carefully lined up opposite each other so that the leaves coming from a 90 degree angle can be interwoven one-by-one with each alternating strand.

Nimble fingers pull the strands together in a rough pattern to begin with. Then the strands of leaves are tightly pulled into place and held there as the next one is interwoven. The closeness of the pattern seems much finer than the materials used to create it. This is the result of applying just the right amount of tension. The strands are doubled back to develop a thicker mat and more complex locking mechanism so the weave doesnt spread. At each step the weaver needs to take care not to break the strand of dried leaf.

The mat is flipped over and back each time so the leaf is locked into place. Finally the mat edges are locked off with a special weave or in some cases with a

heavy thread.