Its been a big few days.

Exploring the handicraft markets, chatting, browsing and testing my Fijian tongue. I’ve quickly discovered my language is a tad rusty, sending the women into peals of laughter on more than one occasion. The hot favourite was when I tried to describe my house as small, instead saying it was a toilet. Ha.

Not surprisingly the women are talented in their craft and their fingers ever so quick - I feel they could weave anything you asked. And I am excited about the range of materials here, tactile, earthy and all attached to a story.

I am immediately drawn to masi, produced on the island of Vatulele, a craft passed from mother to daughter. Over 2 weeks they harvest bark from a mulberry tree, dry, knead and pound masi into being, using mangrove muds and cave soot as dyes. The result is beautiful - strong yet pliable, scrumptious to touch and utterly unique. There is nothing like it in Australia. And in Fiji, we say it houses the spirit of the earth.

Another hot contender is magi magi, produced from coconut husk. Little strands of fibre woven tightly into rope and died brown or black. In old times this material was used to hang our most treasured gift, the tabua.

With all these materials a range of considerations immediately spring to mind, issues such as environmental sustainability, quarantine restrictions, product durability and limitations when manufacturing. I am confident there are ways to navigate these factors ethically, I’m sure time and research will make things clearer. For now I happy to stay childlike in my foraging, excited about the learning and endless possibilities.