Jan 23, 2021 09:13:37 AM 25 members of 10 villages in Beqa and Yanuca Island have built their own canoes for fishing to ensure ocean sustainability and food security on the two islands. The group which includes twenty males and five females received training on how to build environmentally friendly canoes through a joint partnership between the University of the South Pacific (USP) under the Pacific – European Union Marine Partnership Programme (PEUMP) and the Uto Ni Yalo Trust. The villages which have constructed their own fishing canoes are Dakuibeqa, Dakuni, Lalati, Naceva, Nawaisomo, Naiseuseu, Soliyaga, Raviravi, Rukua and the Yanuca Islands. Rukua Village in Beqa will again house a central canoe building workshop whereby the five women and 20 men trained can build more canoes and share the cultural knowledge with Pacific Islanders by equipping them with the skills they have learnt.
5 women from Beqa Island the first in the Pacific to learn traditional canoe building and sailing
5 women from Beqa Island the first in the Pacific to learn traditional canoe building and sailing Friday 22/01/2021
Five women of Beqa Island are the first in the Pacific to learn and practice traditional canoe building and sailing through the University of the South Pacific, Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership Programme and Uto Ni Yalo Trust.
The Turaga Tui Sawau, Ratu Timoci Matanitobua says they appreciate the programme being gender-inclusive where 5 of their women have broken traditional barriers to practice traditional canoe building and sailing.
Matanitobua says they are grateful to the programme for helping them build 10 canoes and for gifting the island with a canoe building workshop to continue this traditional practice.