Into entrepreneurship
MASI
“And when they found employment, I would tell them to be wise in their decision making and to keep their job.”
Even after her children were able to secure good jobs, Ms Toksae never stopped making masi.
“My husband stays in the village and supports us by sending masi. I do the prints here before selling them.
“Even though my children now have families of their own, they never forget that the masi business
Masi printer Igatolo Tokase and Fringe Festival volunteer Asinate Lagilagi.
was what got them to where they are today.”
Making masi has not only allowed Ms Tokase to earn a living, it also allowed her to travel the world.
“Just by making masi, I am now a crafter under the
Fiji Arts Council, and I’ve travelled to places such as Guam and Germany.”
She said she enjoyed teaching her granddaughters how to design masi.
“Now one of my granddaughters can make masi all by herself and I am so proud of her.”
She said making and designing masi has given her the ability to support her family and live a comfortable life.
“Perhaps the reason I never faced any challenges is that this business has
A POPULAR art form in Fiji is the creation of the Fijian masi, also known as tapa cloth.
And in Fiji, many women depend on masi making for a living.
Masi is the bark cloth named by early explorers who derived the term from Tahiti, Samoa and Tonga, where the word was used to refer to the white unpainted borders of the finished product.
It is made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree (Broussonetia papyrifera) and it can be used as a ceremonial dress, garments, wall décor, table mat or blanket. enabled me to support my family financially.
“Because my masi business is going so well, my children would jokingly tell my grandchildren to come to me because I have plenty of money. I can proudly say today that just by making masi we are able to do and buy whatever we want.”
Ms Tokase said she has noticed that most young women and girls today don’t value masi making.
“I am urging young women and girls that even though you are currently exploring different job opportunities out there, don’t forget your own cultural activities like masi making.
“Never forget what our ancestors have taught us. We must share those experiences with our generation and make use of the resources around us.”
She said making money was all about wise decision making.
“Being independent is a decision only we can make, and we can do so if we make the right choices.
“I always advise other women, if your hands are good at something, make sure you give it your all and trust the process. Do it with a good heart and everything else will fall into place.”
Making masi requires a lot of hard work. Fijian women strip the bark, soak it in water for a few days, and then beat the strips with a wooden mallet (ike) into sheets of varying thickness and size. Then the edges of the smaller pieces of cloth are overlapped and felted or glued until the masi is the desired size.
Once the cloth is prepared, designs are added using red, brown or black dye. In decorating barkcloth, Fijians employ a great variety of techniques to create elaborate patterns of motifs.
The different kinds of masi include masi kesa (stencilled), masi kuvui (brown or smoked), seyavu (white or