Fokitala was speaking 'mosikaka' handicraft training that is being held at the Pangi Youth Hall in Ha'apai.
The training is a collaboration between the European Union supported Pacific Regional Tourism Building Programme (PRTCBP) implemented by the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), the Tonga Business Enterprise Centre (TBEC) and the Tonga Handicrafts and Cultural Tourism Support Programme (THCTSP).
Mosikaka was a lost traditional Tongan weaving technique said to have been used to make baskets for the royal family. This weaving technique is only found in the Kingdom of Tonga.
“I am so happy to be learning a new skill. It will teach me how to make baskets and to weave other items and I will be able to sell these things to earn money for my family. I have to help my family because we have had a hard time since cyclone Ian last year”, she said.
“After the cyclone, a lot of the women were very afraid. Every time it rains they would be afraid, so I think a workshop like this to bring us together is very good” she added.
The people of Ha'apai are still recovering from the effects of Cyclone Ian which hit the island in 2014.
“Before this training I had only heard about mosikaka as a weaving technique that was used in Tonga a long time ago.
Retired education officer, Lisieli Tupou has been the heart and effort behind the revival of this ancient weaving technique.
Lisieli taught herself how to weave mosikaka in 1988 after coming across records of the technique at the Education Ministry in Nuku'alofa.
Having mastered the technique, she was invited by the Tonga Business Enterprise Centre (TBEC) through the Tonga Handicrafts and Cultural Tourism Support Programme (THCTSP) to teach this forgotten skill to other women around Tonga.
“Mosikaka was never passed down through the generations as the techniques and weaving was only done for royalty and high chiefs. When I came across the book, I memorized the patterns and started to try and recreate what I saw”, she said.
“I decided to document the work that I was doing on mosikaka weaving and using a small digital camera, I took pictures and typed up each step of the process of weaving mosikaka. My book was published last year by the University of the South Pacific and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community”, she added.
“I believe that we must not lose this weaving technique as it is only found in Tonga and it is very special to us. I teach women how to weave mosikaka using panadas leaves, however I have mastered how to weave mosikaka using coconut fibre and some women I taught in Vavau are also trying this out”, she continued.
“I am grateful to the SPTO for sponsoring this workshop so that I can teach women how to weave mosikaka so that they can teach other women and we will keep this ancient tradition alive”, she added.
“When I see the women that I have taught, trying to perfect their creations and how they are so happy to learn a weaving technique that we know was only for the royals and chiefs in the olden days makes me very happy”, she said.
SPTO Chief Executive Ilisoni Vuidreketi said the SPTO is pleased with the response from the women in Ha'apai towards this new skill and he commends them all for their passion to make a difference in their lives.
“We are delighted to be able to reach out to the women in Ha'apai to teach them a new life skill where they can make products to sell to tourists and will earn them an income. To be able to also help the people of Ha'apai in their efforts to reconstruct their lives after the devastation from cyclone Ian last year is the crux of what we do in the region”, he said.
The 15 women graduated from the workshop in Pangi, Ha'apai on Friday 28th August, 2015.
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