Traditional practices losing their value, carver says

By JACKLYN SIRIAS
POREBADA villager Vagi Dimere says some traditional practices such as trading of artefacts between people in different areas are no longer being practised, although some people are today using traditional concepts to make money.
The village is in Central.
Dimere was selling small replicas of the traditional canoe called the lagatoi for K20 and K30 at the Paga Hill Ring Road.
He carved them out of tree branches and barks then paint them.
“The lagatoi is our traditional canoe that our ancestors used to follow the Hiri-trade links between our neighbouring villages to exchange food and other traditional things,” he said.
According to Wikipedia online, the lagatoi is Motu for a double-hulled sailing craft traditionally used in the Hiri trade cycle.
Dimere said unfortunately, the traditional trading system had stopped.
“Today, people only built a lagatoi  to participate in events like the Hiri-Moale Festival. So on occasions like Independence Day, we build small-sized lagatois to sell for some income. We are also teaching our children this knowledge,” he said.
Dimere said even the materials for building the lagatoi was slowing vanishing.