Weaver Apprenticeship Program
Busy Hands. Happy Hands: These names of two of Majuro’s successful handicraft stores describe beautifully the weavers of the Marshalls Islands.
To be a skilled weaver is to use your busy hands to be creative as you sit with a happy circle of friends and at the same time earn a living, greatly improving your standard of life.
Beginning in October, nine young people will have the chance to be trained in the centuries-old art of weaving in an intensive six-month course being run by the University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Majuro campus and funded by the RMI National Training Council.
“We’re looking for committed young people who really want to get some skills and will come each day to learn from our three experts weavers,” said Tamara Greenstone, USP’s Continuing and Community Education Coordinator.
The program is split into two, with the mornings being taught at USP’s ‘Jined Kibed,’ which is the name of the Australian-funded weavers’ house, and the afternoons learning about the business of marketing and selling handicrafts.
“In the morning they will learn to make ‘jaki-ed’ (clothing mats) from the program’s instructors Susan Jieta, Ashken Binat and Patsy Herman and also take a series financial literacy classes. In the afternoon, the novice weavers will go to one of the handicraft stores that we’ve partnered with for the project,” Tamara said. “While at the stores, as well as seeing the financial benefits of weaving and learning about marketing, the students will work with the stores’ weavers to learn how to make other types of ‘amimono’ (handicrafts).”
To introduce the program, USP is holding a series of open days at the Jined Kibed from Monday, September 5, to Friday, September 9, between 10am and 2pm, where interested youth aged between 16 and 24 can sit with the experts and see if weaving is in their hearts and future. “The more time they spend with the weavers that week will indicate their eagerness to be part of the program,” Tamara said.
“During that week, Susan, Ashken and Patsy will be finishing their jaki-ed for the annual auction in late September.”
Director of USP’s Majuro Campus, Dr. Irene Taafaki said that this is the second weavers’ apprenticeship program. “We held a year-long weaving course at NVTI (National Vocational Training Institute) in 2008 and we spotted some talent amongst the women who otherwise would not have had a chance to learn weaving.
“The upcoming program will be a double education, because it will not only teach them weaving, but as they sit with the weavers they will be learning all the things the women talking about in the context of a weaving circle, which is culturally important.”
Weavers auction sidebar
The British Museum has announced it will buy at least one mat at this year’s jaki-ed exhibition and auction, which is to be held at the Marshall Islands Resort’s Melele Room on the evening of Thursday, September 29.
“Art collector Caroline Yacoe will be the museum’s agent at the auction,” said USP’s Dr. Irene Taafaki and co-organizer of the jaki-ed event.
“As she has done in years past, Caroline will also be bringing a number of mats from Hawaii’s Bishop Museum.”
Irene already has 11 mats ready for the auction in her Delap office. “We’re hoping for 20 to 25 mats to be on display,” she said, “but you just never know how many until the last minute.”
