Viseisei Village and Pandanus Mat Weaving

Viseisei is an iTaukei village near Vuda Point on the western coast of Viti Levu, between Nadi and Lautoka. According to local oral tradition, Vuda was the landing place of Lutunasobasoba and the ancestral settlers from whom many Indigenous Fijian communities trace their origins. Viseisei is therefore often described as Fiji’s first village.

This account belongs to Fijian oral tradition rather than established archaeological chronology. Archaeological evidence places the earliest known human settlement in Fiji approximately 3,000 years ago, while the earliest documented settlement site currently identified is at Bourewa on the southwest coast of Viti Levu—not Viseisei.

The photographs taken in 2006 document village residents and the preparation and weaving of pandanus leaves. Pandanus mats remain important within many iTaukei communities as household furnishings and as valued objects exchanged during weddings, funerals, chiefly gatherings, and other significant occasions.

Preparing the material requires several stages. Mature leaves are harvested, stripped of their thorned edges, dried and often boiled before being dried again. The prepared leaves are divided into narrow strips and woven by hand. The work preserves specialized knowledge traditionally passed between generations and commonly practised by women.