Heritage Mats Return

Jul 17, 2024 | Arts & Culture, News | 0

50-year-old traditional mats or ‘bwana’ from the island of Ambae are currently on display at the Vanuatu Kaljarol Senta (VKS) after spending more than forty years in Canada.

The mats were taken to Canada by Canadian researchers, Margaret Rodman and her husband Bill Rodman whilst working on the island of Ambae from 1970 to 1975.

The bwana, which was given to the researchers as gifts while attending custom ceremonies on the island contain some rare patterns, which are no longer used on the island.

Upon the mats returned to Vanuatu, VKS identified that the researchers, took 38 mats with them back to Canada after living and working in Wailegi village, on the East of Ambae.

Evelyne Bulegih, the Coordinator for the Women’s Culture and Fieldworkers Program, said these mats which are now on display at the VKS exhibition foyer are from 5 categories of mats in Ambae.

“There is bwan bubulu which is use for bargain and also for sleeping, bwan vivi is used for bargain during custom ceremonies and used by women as attires, sangule is the traditional attire for women, singo tuvegi is worn by men and women during pig killing ceremonies, and bwan hunhuni which used to cover a bride for her wedding,” Mrs. Bulegih explained.

“On these mats, there are 7 different types of design used; the loloitavue, matainiaho, hule, tangwanibakeo, singo vavaho, singo volaiwalurigi, toliduledule.”

Mrs. Bulegih said the Rodmans house the mats in their residence in Canada, and their old age, prompt them to send the bwanas back to their origin.

The bwana from Ambae were returned to Vanuatu on the 10th of June 2024 and are on display at the VKS exhibition foyer until 31 July 2024.

The islands of PENAMA Province used bwana in all of their cultural proceedings. One bwana’s monetary value is around VT1,000 to VT2,000. Its worth comes from the designs impose on the mats, the weaving patterns, and the length of a mat.

Meanwhile, the Coordinator for the Women’s Culture and Fieldworkers Program states that the program is currently working with women in Pentecost to create different mats as an alternative for tourist souvenirs.

Mrs. Bulegih explains that the commercialisation or selling of bwanas to tourist is causing a decline in the value of original bwana as weavers and designers of bwanas pay for rights through custom ceremonies for the use of their designs and patterns.

“We are now working to create a standard mat which is 2 metres in length, with new designs and will be exclusively for selling to tourist,” she said.

The Coordinator added that the lack of interest from girls and young women, to weave, and the bacterial infection of indigenous plant species used for dye poses a threat on the bwana or mats of PENAMA Province.

SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST

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