Ropes

A lot of rope is used to tie canoe parts together and to make the rigging GLOSSARY rigging - the ropes that control the sail and mast . Very strong rope is made from plants like vines, hibiscus, and coconut. This is the process for coconuts.

1. You put coconut husks GLOSSARY husks - outside layers in water for some weeks to remove the soft, weak parts. [View video]

2. After, you dry the wet fibres GLOSSARY fibres - strings in the sun and then join them together in small bunches.

To start a length of rope, you pull a few fibres from the middle of the bunch and rub them together against your thigh.

Then you rub the end of the first group of fibres together with the end of the next few fibres, and so on. [View video]

5. To make thick rope, you weave several of these lengths together. Many people help make the rope. [View video]

6. Rope-making is a skill that children learn and practice from an early age. [View video]

Rope making

Rope-making is a skill that children learn and practice from an early age.

Satawalese wayfinder Anton Ratiloinug: Now I am preparing to make muuch (rope). We pick up nuu (coconuts), and we remove the husks. Then we put them in the nip (fresh water ponds in taro growing areas) for some months. We use this koor (wet coconut fibre) for many things. We use it for anon (coconut fibre rope). You can make a lot of types of rope.

VIDEOS