Noa (Fiji) and Fr La-Aung (Myanmar based in Fiji) open to check the masi cloth during set up at the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) - Photo: Adi Mariana Waqa
It had taken a few months of consultation, organising, and logistics! So when Columban JPIC (Justice Peace & Integrity of Creation) Coordinator for Fiji, Noa Tuivunilagi, arrived safely in Melbourne with an 8 by 8 foot Masi cloth and Dogo (pronounced ndo-ngo) paint made from mangrove trees, a deep sigh of relief was taken.
The masi (also known as tapa in Polynesia) is a fabric cloth made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree. The bark is soaked in water, beaten, and dried to create a soft cloth which is decorated with traditional motifs and designs representing nature, the cosmos, and traditional patterns passed through generations of Fijian women.
Leading up to the Australian Catholic Youth Festival, the Columban team spent a lot of effort consulting with the women of Vatulele, an island known for their intricately beautiful masi designs which are highly valued and sought after for traditional ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. In true Columban spirit, the traditional masi printing was facilitated with respect and acknowledgment of the custodians who held the indigenous knowledge to authentically replicate the activity for young Australians to learn and participate in an art form practiced by Fijian women.
Over two sessions, Noa Tuivunilagi guided the youth as they printed with the dogo paint and wrote messages of hope and solidarity for young people who live out the daily realities of the climate crisis in rural villages, semi-urban towns, and maritime islands.
Sharing a traditional art form from Fiji, where Columban missionaries have not only served for many decades, but learned the languages, travelled the road, seas, and rivers, eaten the local food, and immersed themselves with both the culture and the people, demonstrates the heart by which Columbans share the Good News of the Gospels and embrace a life unlike their own as practices of mutual respect and reciprocity.
The masi printing sessions offered a unique experience for young pilgrims to express spiritual messages of Catholic solidarity and hope, while providing them with an opportunity to participate in creating a masi cloth which the Columban Partnership and JPIC program will use in their activities over the coming years.
*The 2025 Australian Catholic Youth Festival took place from Sunday 30th of November to Tuesday 2nd of December at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.
Adi Mariana Waqa is the Regional Partnership Coordinator at St Columbans, Essendon.
