Turning to the ancient art of weaving to support her family
BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
A woman of courage, Barbra Tehoaki, 46, has stepped up to be the man of the house.
This industrious woman made her life-turning decision when her husband retired.
Her life changed from one of a simple housewife to manufacturing cultural products to sell and managing a growing number of customers.
At the centre of her success and progress is – weaving – a once prolific ancient skill that is now only practised by few gifted and passionate women.
She learnt how to weave in 2006, something that would prove crucially useful later in her life.
Having six children, three boys and three girls, taught Tehoaki resilience and the determination to face challenging issues.
Before Tehoaki’s expedition into weaving, her daily activities primarily centred on managing the home as a wife. Yet, her circumstances changed dramatically following her husband’s retirement.
Her typical roles included child rearing and managing the home’s daily operations.
Tehoaki is known for creating a variety of handcrafted items, from mats to purses and baskets adorned with her region’s unique patterns and designs.
“As a mother, I have been very worried and anxious since my husband retired because he is the father of the family and I am just a housewife.
“So, when I think about the future and my children, I feel worried,” she said emotionally.
Tehoaki only thought of learning something that could help her have something useful for her children.
It was with this thought that the mother of six decided to pursue the art of weaving in 2006.
“It usually takes me five to six months to wave a six to 7-foot-long mat, for a purse and baskets, it can take a week or more, but it depends on how you spend your time on it. It took me time to learn the patterns and designs.
“Most of the designs and styles I create reflect my culture and tradition.
“Although they are easy to make on the surface, I faced some challenges while doing them.
“I learned how to wave from my aunts,” she said.
Aside from creating appealing designs and patterns, her main challenge is how to acquire or collect the resources she works with.
“It is a very hard and time-consuming task, especially in finding the right resources like bandanas, the required design, and the amount of money to help you find those resources financially.
“For orders, I have to work extra hard to complete the work on time. In this case, it could take me a month to complete the product.
One also needs to be creative to come up with any patterns and designs for the client orders,” she says.
“We buy most of our pandanus from other people,” she said.
Barbra sells her 7ft mat for between $2,000 and $6,000, while her handmade purse and baskets cost between $100 and $300.
“Sometimes I give my customers a discount,” she said.
The mother of six sees her job as an important part of supporting her children at school and home.
“It helps because my husband doesn’t work, but my job also supports the children and the family.
“This helps them pay for school fees and meet our needs. Right now, I am the sole provider for my family and my children are in high school,” she said.
“My advice to young women is to learn how to work from the elders. This is important because it is one of the ways to preserve our traditions or culture. Also, it is a way to generate income for our daily lives.”
“We are unique in the way we do things to support our families, our children and our loved ones. So, by engaging in such work, your needs will also be met.
This means that even if your husband is not working or has no job, you, as a mother, still have a role to play in providing for the family,” she said.
