Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology Simon Fraser University 8888 University Drive, Burnaby B.C. Canada

About 3000 years ago, a group of highly mobile ocean-going foragers arrived in Fiji from the west, bringing with them a distinctive pottery tradition that archaeologists now call Lapita. Although pottery styles and decoration have changed over time, the art of pottery-making has persisted in the Fiji islands to the present day.
In the Fijian village of Nakabuta, traditional pottery-making techniques are used to create items such as bowls, animal figurines and jewelry. The photographs on the following pages illustrate the techniques used by the potters of Nakabuta.
Nakabuta Village is located in the Sigatoka Valley on Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island.