Staying Fijian: Vatulele Island Barkcloth and Social Identity - Hardcover

Barkcloth, or masi, is the traditional art form of the women of Vatulele Island. Its manufacture continues to flourish, even increase, while many other arts are declining, despite the fact that most of its functional roles have been usurped by Western cloth and paper. This book explores this apparent paradox and concludes that the reasons lie in the ability of its identity functions to buffer the effects of social stress. This is so for not only Vatuleleans but all Fijians.

Rod Ewins was born and raised in Fiji. His professional career has been as an artist and art educator, primarily at the University of Tasmania.