SAMOA | Thursday, 4 July 2013 | Views [1035] | View Larger Image
Practically every part of the tree, can be used by the Islanders, trunks, leaves, mid ribs, husks, husk fibers, shells and the nuts themselves. Here a local “husks” a “nut” using the traditional methods, piercing the husk with a stake and pealing away the husk from the better known brown hard shelled nut. Plaited sennit rope called ʻAfa is made from the husk. They are soaked in fresh water for 4-5 weeks then old men or women beat the husk to separate the fibres. After a further washing fibres are tied together in bundles and dried in the sun, then manufactured into sennit by plaiting, a task usually done by elderly men or matai, and performed at their leisure.
