Rope and Mat Weaving with Local Craftspeople
Only at Chole Mjini. Spend a few hours with the craftsmen and women of Chole Island, learning to twist coconut-fibre rope and weave the mats, ropes and palm-leaf braids that island life is built on.
treehousesCrafts made from the island’s palms
Swahili crafts use natural materials such as coconut fibre, banana leaves and palm leaves. Mats, called mikeka, are woven from the fibres of the ukindu palm and used for floors, beds, fences, and even the bags that carry your morning tea. The village also makes makuti, the palm-leaf braids used for roofs and baskets.
The ropes that hold up the treehouses
Mwinyi, our oldest boatman, makes the coconut-fibre ropes for our boats and treehouses. Learn the craft from him and from the island’s craftsmen and women, and take home something you made yourself. Our managers plan the next day’s activities with you each evening.
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