WHILE traditional and cultural craft work is a skill that has to be preserved and encouraged among locals, certain skills can only be done by a select group of people. Fiji Crafts Society president Niqa Tuvuki said while there was a need to encourage more people to carve, weave and build works of art, some of the work could only be done by the people that each craft was known for. "For instance, the salt makers of Sigatoka, they are known for that and they are traditional owners of this skill and so they are the only ones who are culturally allowed to do this even for commercial purposes," Ms Tuvuki said. "The same goes for the makers of the iri ni Daku (fan) from Daku, Tailevu. They traditionally own that skill set and they are known for making these fans. "No one else is allowed to do this." But apart from this, she said people should be encouraged to learn other types of traditional art and craft. "We have been carrying out workshops and promoting this traditional knowledge so that more people come and be part of it. "By doing this we are trying to preserve this traditional knowledge so they can be passed on to future generations. "We also carry out workshops for these traditional owners of these craft to encourage their youths to learn and keep their skills alive."
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 06:31:36 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015