From the Eye of a Matazonga: My Journey as a Weaver by Glorious Marie Oxenham
My name is Glorious Marie Oxenham, but mostly known as ‘Glo’ or Aunty Glo. Originally from the beautiful Vona Vona lagoon of the Western Solomon Islands, where I learned to weave from an early age (I learned from some amazing skilled weavers—my grandmas, mum, aunties, and my dad). Weaving is not just for fun; it is a form of social gathering. It is therapeutic, recreational, knowledge and skill building and sharing. These are skills that are passed down from generation to generation. My formative years were most fun and filled with love and admiration for those who could dream a pattern and create them in their woven crafts (on mats and baskets). One such is called ‘Pinuta gita,’ essentially a dream.’
On my trips back home to my village, it was always a joy to join the women (aunties and cousins) to weave.
These photographs show such a gathering where we wove a round mat for a wedding gift:
I spent my earlier childhood with my grandparents as my father, being a schoolteacher, would often move around to other parts of the Western province/Solomons to teach. Growing up in the care of my grandparents gave me a wonderful beginning in life, and today, I appreciate the opportunity to gain experience and the life-long skills I possess.
It was a wonderful opportunity I gladly took to learn about my extended family/tribes, culture/customs, and learning the wonderful skills of weaving was just one of them. On one of the holidays, traveling to visit families on a different Island, I got to observe and learn from a grandma how to prepare plant fiber for making string bags. I saw earlier that the benefits of having my own created art was something to be proud of. I was so delighted at the age of eight or so when a small bag I had made was most admired by an aunty, so I gave it to her. This was the same aunty (photo to the right here) who, years later, was so proud of a flax basket I had made and brought to her from New Zealand.
Matazonga: This term, “matazonga” in the Roviana language of New Georgia, is for skilled artisans who can look at art and then create a replica of the original work - someone with a photographic view of something. I am sure that many artists have this skill. I would like to think that I have this skill as I have often seen something (mostly weaving patterns) and tried to recreate it. Here is one such example:
A flax kete: This photo appeared on my Facebook page after seeing one like it on YouTube.
My journey to learn more: When I was in high school, I joined the cultural club of the weaving segment and learned from my peers their weaving styles and techniques – I learned to prepare materials and wove hats using coconut leaves – today I continue with this skill to create them here in NZ using Harakeke(flax). I was so glad to join a cultural club while at Teachers’ College in Honiara in the early 1980s and learned from a skilled weaver from Rennel and Bellona Islands. I am excited about weaving and learning the many skills, styles, and patterns that gave me such hope and opportunities to add to my weaving repertoire.
Weaving in Aotearoa: When I arrived in NZ in the early 1980s, I brought some dried coconut leaves and a couple of rolls of pandanus. I did not realise that I would be able to weave here as I had not heard of harakeke (flax). To my delight, my mother-in-law saw that I could weave and took me to meet a very skilled Māori weaver in the Wairarapa where I was living then. And that was the beginning of my love for harakeke (flax) leaves and fibre. I found it to be a wonderful material to work with - I was hooked. My work to weave and use in multi-media was noted by schools and was invited to provide multimedia art/mural for different schools. In the mid-1990s I was invited to take part in the ‘Arts in Gardens for Schools’ (in the Wairarapa), a fundraiser for schools. I was placed in a beautiful garden over a weekend and there I wove (using flax) many woven stuff and the viewing public saw my work for the first time. Since then I have had my work in various art and crafts shops and have exhibited in the Aratoi Museum (a museum of art and history) in the area.
My love of weaving also leads me to be involved with the Melanesian community in Wellington to support the Melanesian Basket exhibition hosted by the Pataka Museum in Porirua, New Zealand. During this time, I was the resident weaver/artist at the Museum for the duration of the exhibition.
Today, I weave a variety of baskets, bags, mats, and hats of different shapes, sizes, colours, and patterns. Here are examples of these flax works:
Fibre art: In the Solomon Islands, like other Pacific nations, we use materials that are readily available to them. One such is the abundance of pandanus leaves, palm leaves, coconut leaves, and other fibers from coconut fire to tree barks, including banana fiber (Temotu Province).
FestPac Experience: “The Festival of the Pacific Arts & Cultural (FestPAC) is the world’s largest celebration of Indigenous Pacific Islanders.” My recent trip to Hawaii in June was a holiday, but I knew fully well that the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture - 2024 was happening in Honolulu, Hawaii. The timing to see the amazing arts, artists, and cultural shows gathering in one place was a must. There were traditional arts, crafts, music, dance, and oral traditions to share on a global stage. My beautiful Melanesian ‘sister’ and Director of the Melanesian Women Today, Dr Mere Sovick, suggested that as a weaver, I went around to each of the Hales at this FestPAC event to see and chat with the artists, specifically, the weavers. It was such a pleasure to do so as I was in the zone, beautifully weaving stories to learn, take away, and share.
These are just some of the wonderful images I took of the arts and crafts at the festival:
The event’s theme was “Ho‘oulu Lāhui: Regenerating Oceania”. This was to honor the traditions that FestPAC exists to perpetuate with an eye toward the future.” Today some of our Island nations are losing lands due to climate change. People are aware of the need to change our way of life. How can we help ourselves? It is known that in many of our local markets’ women are producing woven baskets to combat plastic use. This has given meaning to locally made products and is good for the environment. It was a wonderful experience to speak and share with many of the artists about their work, experiences, material used, and common interests to weave and create. Those whom I spoke with talked about the need to keep the culture going, and the need to pass on the skills to the new generation. Weaving techniques and artifacts created are historical in the sense that they are meaningful to the people who make and use them. It is part of their culture, tradition, and identity. These are evident in the cultural attires used in ceremonies and worn by performers which are often quite distinctive to areas in which people come from. Men are weavers too. There were some such skilled weavers at the FestPAC – I witnessed a man teaching the younger ones to make coconut leaf hats and a couple more demonstrated on making tapa cloths. I was delighted to chat with a couple of men weavers in the Hawaiian hale. They are skilled but pointed out the matriarch on the mat who was their mentor. This made me immensely proud of my father as I thought about how skilled he was at weaving, canoe building, repairing Tomoko canoes, cloth-sail maker, and house builder. A good critique as to how best to design, make, and deliver a good product. The women in our family sought his expertise to make the darning needles using the keys of the con-beef/spam cans for use on mats and baskets or to weave them cane or Bukaware baskets. The two gentlemen in the Hawaiian Hale were happy to share their love of the art of weaving and there were many similarities across the Pacific in what they were working on, hats and baskets. Artists are happy to share their skills and as one weaver (a lady in the Marshall Islands said, “We have to pass on these skills, or they die with us.” I stand by this statement as I love nothing more than to teach anyone interested to learn. I also sew and knit so anyone wanting or keen to pick up a skill/hobby I am here.
Glo Oxenham, QSM
My kind of Art:
I am known as a ‘bag lady’. ‘If I don’t buy it, I'll make it’.
Round-based baskets and bags—these can be high or low such as fruit baskets, pot plant holders, storage baskets, or gift baskets/bags. Wine baskets and drink bottle holders.
Backpacks, shoulder bags, purses etc.. I have also started to make accessories, belts, and headgear.
I have exhibited in Museums, Solidworks to craft shops/tourists including at the NZIque outlet for NZ-made arts/crafts shops and sell privately as they are affordable to customers.
I have participated in Arts for school where I was placed in a garden for the paying public to view and buy. I have also run multi-media art in schools (Primary) through the REAP programme (in the Wairarapa).
I am available to run workshops for anyone or groups who are interested. For this calibre of work, you need to have at least done a little weaving. However, I teach basic weaving to beginners and to children also.
This is an interest/hobby so I will work on request or when time allows.