Susan Makes a Mat
Expert weaver Susan Jieta very kindly made a ‘jainai’ (fresh coconut frond mat) and allowed me to photograph the steps she took to create this natural fiber mat that can be used for sitting on for using as a place to store goods. The whole process took over three hours, which included just a few short breaks.
Susan has long been involved in the ‘jaki-ed’ (finely woven clothing mats) revival program championed by the University of the South Pacific’s Majuro Campus. She is weaving the jainai in the thatched weavers’ house in the gardens of USP, which sits on the shoreline in Majuro’s Long Island.
Footnote: I made this video using a new piece of software. Clearly I have a learning phase to go through!
