During my stays in the 1980s, many Sikaiana people still slept on mats made of pandanus, although many had foam mattresses and those living in town might sleep on a mattress. The pandanus mat was women’s work and was in some senses equivalent to a canoe. Sometimes a man and woman would exchange a canoe for a sleeping mat. Mats should fold flat and the plaiting should be straight.
A woman starts a mat by collecting pandanus leaves. The spine is stripped and the leaf is pounded flat. It is then rolled into a coil and cut into strips. The stripes are then plaited.
