This project seeks to document the traditional food preparation and preservation techniques used by the women and men on Taumako for millennia and is slowly dying out but retained by a small portion of women on Taumako. We will document the two major preservation techniques of Kulu (breadfruit) when in season so that it will still be maintained and appreciated by the current youth and women of Taumako and the future generations to come. We want to ensure that these methods of preserving breadfruit are not lost but continue to be practised by Taumakans and others.The preparation and preservations techniques require making and using tools, baskets, and mats during specific stages of the process of growing, selecting, harvesting, cleaning, cutting and cooking the fruits, and either smoking the chips or burying them in a pit with protective leaves from various plants, covering the pit and eventually (maybe after many years) uncovering the pit and eating the fermented product. Every stage of the work is done with ancient techniques that guarantee success. The dried breadfruit is stored in a special figure 8 shaped leaf basket that keeps the fruits fresh for years. Fiber, bark, and cane, cordages and mats made from coconut and Pandanus are needed by workers. Breadfruit in season is overabundant, so it must be preserved to be available later, and especially when disasters strike and food shortage occurs. These foods suit mariners and keep the digestion of starving people healthy until more food can be obtained or grown.
Principal Investigator:
Marianne George
Collaborators:
Delsie Betty Bosi and Luke Vaikawi
Location of Research:
Taumako, Solomon Islands
Host Institution:
Pacific Traditions Society
Top Banner Image: Burning piles of breadfruit skins. Photo credit: Marianne George.