Tribewanted: Vorovoro

So, tribe, my chief project, the painting of Fijian Zaishu stools, is coming to an end. We printed the final pattern, taken from the Northern Fijian artform of woven mats, and we used two designs. One came from the chief mat that I have been using this month, in ceremonies, grog sessions, and in my bure, and the other came from mats around the village.

I was lucky enough to have Pastor Seli, not only an elder in the church that Frances and Poasa attend but also a master artist involved with the Fiji Arts Council, lend a hand to the project. He made me a gift of an Ike Masi, the pounding stick used to make tapa from bark. And we chatted about what is taught nowawadays and how, instead os using banana leaves for stenciling, they use x-ray film. I’ll be leaving all of the silk screen supplies and the paint and books for others to use.

Which is exciting because the teachers and kids in the Mali District School have not done masi lessons to date. I presented them with the Zaishu on Friday and explained what we plan to do with them, and I hope they will use the money from the project for the Green Club to be re-instated after they finish their school holiday in a couple of weeks and our new sustainability manager, Ben, gets stuck in. In the meantime, we have been getting lots of press on the project, which is terrific for TribeWanted, the school, and the Zaishu endeavor! I will let everyone know when they are available through Reform School and if we manage to do a little art show with them before they go on sale. Vinaka vaka levu to everyone who helped paint, cheered us on, and offered words of wisdom for the project!

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=87248