THE art of weaving traditional products is not always confined to women but rather a hand development talent, which has inspired men in our traditional society to venture into over the centuries until now in order to preserve their tradition and culture.
Solomon Women has managed to speak to a traditional artist from Guadalcanal at the recent inaugural Guadalcanal Weaving Festival to explain how he managed to construct the hand-woven ‘welcome signboard’ at the inaugural Guadalcanal Weaving Festival.
“It took me three solid months to complete the “welcome signboard” of the 2017 inaugural Guadalcanal Weaving Festival.
“Despite undergone much time to collect the bush materials and to construct the ‘welcome signboard’, I managed to complete it within the given specific time frame,” Leku Lua told the paper.
He expressed that his passion to continue as a traditional artist is one way of earning an income to meet his family needs and wants.
“Not only that but it is also one way to promote and preserve my culture and tradition in the art of traditional weaving.
Mr Lua is a traditional weaver, who hails from Northeast Guadalcanal from the Rautulu tribe.
He said the traditional ‘welcome signboard’ used in the Guadalcanal Weaving Festival was his third creation he had design and made out of the local bush materials.
“The first design I made was during the 12th Festival of Pacific Arts (FOPA) held in Honiara. From that time, I have been recognised as one of the outstanding traditional weaver and designer in Guadalcanal province,” he added.
