Did you know that a particular artisan back in 1978 conceived a wonderful idea of combining wool weaving with traditional masi design? The Fiji Times of Friday, September 8, 1978, covered the story of Aliti Roko who created beautiful masi rugs from wool. Aliti mentioned that the inspiration behind the idea were pseudo-Persian rugs that were being made by a friend who was in hospital. A standard size rug , 4ft by 2ft and 6in.
, took about two weeks and 16,000 knots to make but could last “a lifetime” she said. A loan from the Fiji Development Bank sent Aliti on her way to set-up her own cottage industry. Aliti hired 12 women from around Lami where she lived, to help her weave the rugs.
She imported the pure wool from New Zealand, dyed the masi colours of black, off-white, and different shades of brown. Then she printed the designs on to the backing and the wool was knotted through the backing and pulled tight. It was a casual sort of industry.
Once the women had learnt the art, they took the hooks, wool and backing home to finish the rugs in their own time. Aliti sold a few and had made special order designs, but had to stop production because she had no steady market to sell through. The rugs sold for $95 but, as she said, they were works of art and as good as a painting.
They could last a lifetime and could spring back into shape, she said..