"Girls making mats, Fiji."

Unused. Anonymous publisher, but probably Henry.Marks & Co., because the photo setup used here was also used on other cards they published (see "Fijian warrior" below).

The girl on the left is holding some processed pandanus leaves that have yet to be slit into finer strands for weaving. She wears a tailfeather of the White Tropic Bird (lawedua) in her hair, a chiefly symbol, while the girl on the right appears to have an ornamental comb in her hair. She is merely posed, Standing between the girls and the reed wall is a bale of barkcloth of a Tongan pattern.

"Making baskets".Unused. Publisher G.L.Griffiths, Suva, Fiji.

The woman facing the camera is working on a noke fishing-basket. This is held on to the waist with a plaited sinnet strap, and fish inserted into a small hole in the top of the arc (the rest of the arc is sewn together). The other woman holds a lalakai or food-platter woven from half of a coconut leaf. Another is stood on end in the centre of the picture. The ceramic vessels are (left) a dari used for yaqona preparation, and (right) a small saqaniwai water bottle. The hank of material in the foreground is sinnet not yet spun into strings ready for plaiting.

"Fijians making Tappa cloth".

Unused. Hand water-coloured. Publisher A.M.Brodziak & Co., Suva, Fiji.

The picture does clearly enough show the tools used to make barkcloth (here called "tappa" but actually in Fiji called masi). The cloth is placed on the anvil (dutua), a wooden basin (sedre) for holding fresh water sits beside the beater's right knee, and the women are each holding barkcloth beaters (ike). One strange feature is that the woman on the left is holding an ike in each hand. This is extremely improbable. Normally only one would be used, the other hand being constantly occupied with adjusting the position of the cloth on the anvil. I would surmise that the photogapher erroneously assumed that two beaters would be held in much the same way as two beaters are used to play the wooden gong (lali), and his compliant models did not correct his error.

"Making Tappa, Fiji".

Unused. Hand water-coloured. Publisher J.Waters, Suva, Fiji. This card and the previous two bear testament to the way in which Suva's postcard publishers used each other's images — it is very probable that Waters actually took all three. Not only is this the same studio setup as the previous two images, published by Griffiths and Brodziak respectively, but the same two women appear in all three. The photographs were clearly taken in sequence, as the women are wearing the same isulu vakatoga Wesern-cloth sarongs.

In this photo they are hand-painting a piece of Cakaudrove masi bola (see Ewins 1982, Fijian Artefacts, for a full description). The fact that the cloth appears complete is not necessarily misleading, since these cloths are enhanced after the design is established by a form of "varnishing" similar to that used by Western oil-painters. However the "tools" they are pretending to use appear to be merely sticks. In fact, they would be using the frayed ends of segments of the pandanus fruit, such as are found on any beach in the Pacific, as small paint brushes. Again, the compliant models did not correct the error — always assuming they knew, which if they were "town girls" from Suva they probably did not. .

"Making Tappa, Fiji".

Unused. Publisher Caines #10. As in the previous example, these women are hand painting a piece of Cakaudrove masi bola, but this photo looks much less "posed" and more authentic. The woman nearest on the left can be seen holding a strip of coconut leaflet to mask the edge of the area she is painting with a swab held in the other hand. The cloth they are working on is a wearing-cloth, perhaps an i-oro cummerbund.

"Making Tappa (native cloth)".

Unused and undated, but undivided back so pre-1906. Publisher A.M.Brodziak & Co., Suva, Fiji.

This is captioned the same as the previous example, but these women are very clearly NOT making masi barkcloth, or indeed anything else. They are seated on one side of a long mat, rather than bark-cloth. Three generations can be identified, including three unmarried young women (second, third and fifth from the right), wearing tobe virgin-plaits. The fact that these three are wearing ceremonial dress, together with the fact that only they and the senior woman on the far right have bilo or yaqona (kava) cups on the mat in front of them, all suggests that the gathering was for a ceremony or ritual concerning them. Unfortunately the careless and quite misleading captioning gives us no hint as to what that may have been — clearly it was far more significant than merely a work-group making masi.

"Rope-making - Fiji".

Used, Publisher A.M.Brodziak & Co, Suva - Fiji. Captions in English and French

Message reads "Suva, Fiji Islands, Jan 22/08. Compliments of J.Hull". Addressee: Mrs Thomas Bannon, Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada. 1d King Edward VII Fiji stamp

The men are coiling large coils of two-coloured (rust-red and black) sinnet cord (magimagi), some of them miles in length (see "Fijian presents..." above. In the back of the group on the left, a man can be seen spinning the fibres on his forearm. The thigh is also used.

"Collection of grog bowls".

Unused and undated, divided back card so it is post-1906. Publisher Henry Marks & Co Ltd., Fiji.

Though there is no location given for this photo, it may have been the island of Kabara, in Lau, which was and remains famous for its manufacture of wooden kava bowls such as those shown here.

"Making pottery, Fiji"

Unused. Publisher A.M. Brodziak & Co, Suva, Fiji. Undivided address-only back dates this as pre-1906.

Unfortunately this photo is not localised, but from the mountainous terrain, it may have been taken in Ra, northern Vitilevu, where at that date there was still a vigorous manufacture of pottery (now long defunct). The pots being made are all large kuro cooking-pots. For a description of the process see the next entry, and also refer to http://www.justpacific.com/fiji/fijianart/amelepots.pdf.

Note the very early stages of a large house under construction, visible against the sky above the potters.

"Fiji Archipelago. Indigenous women making cooking pots and watervessels" ["Archipel Fidji. Femmes Indigènes fabriquant des marmites et des gargoulettes"]

Unused. Anonymous French publisher. Undivided address-only back. Subscript on face reads "The firing of these pots is done by burning a heap of bamboo onto which they have been stacked" ["La cuisson de ces vases s'opère par la combustion de la case de bambous dans laquelle on les a empilés."]

From the style of the pots in the picture I would judge that the photograph was taken in one of the specialist potter-villages of Rewa District, near Suva. It is possible to make out the light wooden paddles with which several of the women are forming the pots, holding a river-pebble inside them (the so-called "paddle and anvil" technique: see article on this website). Several half-formed pots can be seen sitting on their doughnut-shaped cradles on the ground in front of the workers. In the left foreground can be seen a cooking-pot sitting in the correct cooking position on top of its three pot-stands, which sit in the fireplace. The other pots lined up are water-vessels. To the left of centre of the group of women can be seen two pubescent girls already making pots. They would continue this craft only if they married within their own area; if they married out to another district they would learn the specialist production of their husbands' home.

"Making native pottery, Fiji".

Message but not addressed and never posted, and undated, Publisher unknown.

Message reads "Another native scene. Produce these on my return and I will explain, to the best of my ability, the different views. have a cocoanut."

These pots are distinctive and unlike those of Rewa, Nadroga or Kadavu. It is possible that the photograph was taken on the island of Malake, Ra, where they did make pots up to the very early 20th century but which were never identifiably documented except in some water colours by Constance Gordon Cumming. The small four-spouted water vessel to the right of the seated man resembles one of those watercolours.

"Pottery making, Fiji".

Unused and undated, but hairstyles suggest first decade of 20th Century, Publisher unknown. Bears number (Sk2564).

The older woman bending forward has light-coloured hair from liming - this had the twofold effect of sending the hair an orange-yellow colour and discomfiting headlice. On the ground can be seen (back left) an incomplete pot bound around the middle to prevent sagging while it firms up before the next stage, (front l&r) two waterjars saqaniwai (back centre) a cooking pot kuro, (right) a lump of clay (buliqele). All pots are sitting in their fibre cradles toqi. All three women are holding their paddles (itata) in their hands.

"Fijian Pottery".

Unused and undated, divided back card. Publisher Le Faivre's Art Studio, Suva, Fiji. The picture can be dated to the first decade of the 20th Century by the fact that this firm operated, first under O.J. Le Faivre, then under R.G. Donaldson, and finally under F.W. Caine, between 1905 and 1914. It became Caine's Studios and finally Caine's Jannif, which still occupies the same premises.

These blue and white postcards were a trademark of Le Faivre's Art Studios, but they were unfortunately poorly printed, as is the case here.

The card bears a pencil inscription "Rewa". If indeed this is an informed notation, it is very interesting because it indicates that at that time the women of Rewa were producing a significant range of cookware that has not been produced there for many years. Also, there are none of the multi-lobed water vessels characteristic of Rewa from early times and still made there. However, since the inscription is not from the photographer, it may well be incorrect. In which case, this may represent pottery from of the Vanualevu centres still producing at that time, since Le Faivre did produce a number of postcards from there. This would actually be even more valuable as I know of no photograph of their pottery.

In front of the seated woman are four very large kuro starch-vegetable cooking pots. Closer to the camera are two large waterjars saqaniwai each sitting in their fibre "doughnut" cradles toqi. Three ivakariri shouldered pots (for boiling non-starch foods) are nearest the camera, and the remainder of the vessels are shallow platters. The woman standing in shadow appears to have a water-jar strapped to her back.

"Fijian Market".

Published by Morris, Hedstrom & Co., Levuka, Fiji. Unused and undated, but divided back card, so it dates from after 1906 (but probably not by much).

This "market" seems to be devoted entirely to selling medium-sized cooking-pots (kuro). These pots were, and in a very few places still are, used for cooking starch vegetables. In use, a small amount of water is added to the vegetables, a vegetable-matter bung is put in the mouth of the pot, and the taro, cassava or yams are steamed, very much in the manner of a pressure cooker. Assuming that the women were also the makers, it is interesting to speculate on where the scene represents, a pottery village near the sea in an area of considerable European activity (judging from the yachts). Possibilities would include the Rä coast of Northern Vitilevu, where pottery used to be carried out but has not been for nearly a century.

"Marketing".

Published by G.L.Griffiths, Suva, Fiji. No date, but this picture is reproduced in the Cyclopedia of Fiji (p.113) published in 1907, so it was certainly taken by that date at the latest. The fact that Griffiths did not really begin marketing postcards until 1917 suggests that he may have, as did many others, obtained the rights to use this photograph from another photographer,perhaps J.Waters. .

On the reverse, the postage stamp square states "Inland 1/2d. STAMP Foreign 1d." In small writing across the end next the the stamp square is written "From M.Ryan to Patt".

The tree overshadowing this impromptu market was the ivi tree (Tahitian chestnut, Inocarpus sp.) that marks the foundation place of Suva, at the apex of The Triangle, junction of Thomson St,, Renwick Rd., and Victoria Pde.

Contrasting with the previous image, this picture is most interesting to me as a document of the clothing affected by Fijian men early in the 20th Century. Clearly the favoured top (when one was worn) was an undervest (probably woollen), precursor of the t-shirt. All of the men wear the introduced i-sulu wrap-around skirt, the malo loincloth by now well obsolete, but trousers obviously as yet uncommon. Several men affect cloth cummerbunds reminiscent of the barkcloth i-oro, and a couple also wear bandanas round their heads, harking back to the chiefly i-sala headscarves. The food for sale is unexceptional, a basket of unknown contents on the left of the photo, then some bundles of dalo (taro), some breadfruit (uto) and then what look like shaddocks (moli kana), which several standing men are also holding.

"Preparing dinner, Fiji".

Published by Stinson Studio, No.10 Addressed and bears a NZ one penny stamp, but never posted and undated.

As can be seen by the number, this is a very early Stinson card, probably dating to about 1912. The scene is obviously posed, and it is unclear whether the smoke is from a cooking fire or an earth oven. The men's apparent proprietorship tends to suggest the latter.

This is a cropped version of a card published as "Preparing Xmas Dinner - Fiji : SEASON'S GREETINGS", published by G.L.Griffiths, Suva, Fiji. A man stands on the left of that picture holding a rope attached to a turtle (whose undershell, or plastron, is just visible on the lower left of this version) and a bare-breasted woman stands in the right foreground beside the seated woman in the lower right of this picture.

"Natives climbing cocoanut trees, Fiji".

Published by "The Rose Stereographs. Armadale, Victoria," The Rose Series P10004. Unused and undated.Probably 1920s.

"Native drums, Fiji".

Published by "The Rose Stereographs. Armadale, Victoria," The Rose Series P10017. Unused and undated. Probably 1920s.

The pair of lali or trough-gongs in this photo are unusual in that they are very close in size. Normally, "tuned" drums are exactly one octave apart in pitch, the smaller drum giving the higher note. If these were tuned like that, it would have had to be a function of the wall-thickness and distance between the end-baffles that achieved it.

"Crossing from Mainland to Bau, Fiji".

Publisher unknown. "Art Series - Copyright" only identifier. Unused and undated, but almost certainly pre-1920.

The chiefly island of Bau lies off Rewa Province on the "mainland" of Vitilevu. Traditionally Bau had a huge fleet of canoes, including many of the great double-hulled drua warships, and still has many punts and some boto (outboard-powered launches). However, it was always accessible on foot at low tide, much like St Michael's Mount in Cornwall. While this was, and remains, very useful to the occupants for social outings and obtaining provisions, it was not really a strategic impediment because the causeway is not wide and no successful attack could be launched across it, as any line of attackers could be dispatched piecemeal with arrows or spears before they reached the island.