The Women of Yap’s Outer Islands: Weaving Their Cultural Identity

In that slow way unique to tropical climates, three women from my village are walking together down the packed-earth and gravel road that leads to the two-lane thoroughfare that encircles the island. Hand-woven pandanus leaf baskets are slung over their shoulders and hold the betel nut that reddens their teeth with every chew. Their colorfully striped lava lavas sway as they walk and chat, tied around their hips with only a thin rope or string holding the straight, rectangular piece of cloth in place. Some wear t-shirts and some wear nothing more than flip flops with their lava lavas. The lava lava must be at least knee-length. Here in Yap, a woman baring her thighs is as shocking as going topless in the United States, but going topless is perfectly acceptable on this cluster of reef-bound islands and atolls.

The lava lava is as unique to this remote island state as its ancient culture, among the best preserved in the entire Pacific region. One of four states in the Federated States of Micronesia, Yap is made up of four main contiguous islands, seven smaller islands and 134 atolls, only 22 of which are inhabited by a little more than 11,000 residents. Yap proper is set inside a barrier reef while the Outer Islands make up the remainder of the 45.6 square miles of land scattered across 600 miles of ocean. A ferry transports people and supplies to the Outer Islands once a month taking five days to reach its outermost destination, the tiny atoll of Lamotrek that’s inhabited by fewer than 370 residents. Steeped in the tradition of celestial navigation, the people of the Outer Islands live off the land and sea while traditional clothing, chores and customs still prevail. For many, the only mode of transport is by hand-hewn canoe.

When they come of age, the women of the Outer Islands must wear lava lavas, a hand-woven, wrap-around sarong with a fringe on both ends that’s made on a simple backstrap loom made of breadfruit wood with bamboo heddle sticks and shed rods and a mahogany beater and shuttle. Before then, the young girls wear simple sarongs, loose pants or knee-length skirts usually with t-shirts.

Called “toeru” in Yapese, it’s considered shameful to buy a lava lava; gossip will quickly carry the news that the woman who buys one can’t weave her own. Every young girl is expected to learn to weave.  The lava lava has strong cultural significance in relation to gender identify, death rites and mediation. Women who wear lava lavas are more highly respected. However, men wear lava lavas called “bagiy” over their thu’u, or loincloth, for ceremonial occasions that call for more formal attire. A man’s lava lava usually has black and white stripes, each the same width, and is gathered around the hips and tied in front. Decorative dried hibiscus fibers are wound in the layers of cloth and hang in folds from the waist.

Lava lavas are given to family groups at funerals and can be used as payment to the chief or community after a cultural violation that might disrupt the village. They are also used as trade currency in this “Land of Stone Money” where massive stone discs, some weighing several tons and several centuries old, are still in use today for certain types of transactions. Everyday currency is the U.S. dollar since the United States has had a strong presence in Micronesia dating back to 1944, the final year of World War II.

Three types of fiber can be used in the weaving of lava lavas: coconut fiber and hibiscus fiber for traditional lava lavas, or modern thread that provides a softer, much less time-intensive option. The traditional technique begins with cutting the trunk of a banana tree, then peeling the outer, tough bark from one side. The woman ties a short thread to her thumb and forefinger to strip off the bark. As more and more strips are peeled away, the soft inner core is revealed. The strips that have been peeled away are laid out one-by-one on a piece of wood or a cut branch where the inside is scraped until the outside of the strip is all that’s left. The strips are now very thin but tough.

Drying the strips in the hot sun comes next and will take a long time. The dry season is best since the strips will dry faster. When dry, the bark is cut into strips using barnacles found on the beach. Opened, the barnacle shell offers two sharp knives. Once finished, the dried strips are tied together in bunches. Processing hibiscus fiber uses a similar method, but the strips are put in the ocean for a certain time, leaving only the tough outer fiber. Everything else is washed away in the sea water. Some might leave the fiber in the water for only four days; others for up to a week depending on the age and toughness of the plant.

Today the preference is for commercial thread, but the local fiber is still woven due to its higher value. Used primarily for an exchange or a funeral, families often have some already made for these very special occasions.  They’re seldom worn because the commercial thread lava lavas are softer and more comfortable for everyday wear.

The warp, or lengthwise fibers through which the weft, or crosswise threads, are passed, is made on a home-made warping board consisting of a piece of wood and five pegs. The thread is looped back and forth in a crazy-eight pattern that separates the threads before they’re tied to the loom.  The actual weaving is often a social event with the women of the family gathering to watch and help and offer opinions.  After the warp is tied to the loom, the weaver sits on the floor and places a hand-woven coconut fiber backstrap around her hips, tying the ends to the loom to hold it steady with the tension of her body. She then begins to create her unique pattern, passing the shuttle that contains the weft thread back and forth through the warp, while adhering to certain accepted colors and symmetry.   

On the island of Ulithi, black-and-white, blue-and-white and green-and-white stripes are usually worn primarily for local dances, graduations, confirmations and other important occasions.  Light blue might be used in place of white with a dark blue, but there is always a dark base color and a lighter stripe. The weaver’s “signature” can be found in the stripes with each woman developing her own unique pattern. On the island of Satawal, weavers are known for their more complex stripes and the use of several colors in each one. When taken off the loom, a fringe of approximately ten inches is left on both ends that falls down the front when wrapped around the waist. The finished rectangle is approximately 24” x 64”.

All lava lavas have an intricately woven selvage that runs along the edge of the fabric. On some islands, one pattern may indicate that it’s a woman’s lava lava while another pattern is for men only. Ulithi’s weavers often use red for the selvage but almost any color can be used, usually to use up leftover thread. On the island of Woleai, white borders are common.

The island of Fais is known for the highly prized, rare lava lava called “machi” made with a complex pattern on each end that resembles embroidery. Traditionally worn only by chiefs in centuries past as loin cloths or ceremonial sashes, machi were considered sacred. It’s said that one sold recently in Guam for more than $1,000. 

When wearing a lava lava, women and girls must sit properly in the presence of men and must not compliment each other’s lava lavas. If the string or rope holding up the lava lava loosens, the wearer must go to a secluded area to adjust it. Pants are never to be worn under a lava lava although some young girls wear knee-length shorts at times, especially on the main island of Yap.  And lava lavas are never to be used for any other purpose such as house decoration, a shawl or blanket. 

It’s late afternoon now and the women of my village are coming home, walking slowly back down the road. I moved to Yap from New York City in August 2016 with the desire to live in and experience a very different culture. As travelers, we can never expect to truly understand what we see. As a white American, I will never fully understand the complexities of Yapese culture. But the experience is profound and I am privileged to live in a village on this remote and ancient island state where the traditional way of life is valued, passed down to the next generation and maintained.

Getting to Yap and the Outer Islands. There are only two flights a week to Yap from Guam and one flight from Palau on United Airlines. A trip to the Outer Islands is sure to be a memorable experience but it should be arranged up to six months in advance.  It’s advisable to obtain permission before going. The Yap State Government Sea Transportation Office operates passenger and cargo service to all of Yap’s outer islands on a monthly basis. The ship offers limited cabin accommodations and deck space for the hardy visitor. For the most current schedule of voyages, call 691-350-2403. Visitors are required to take their own food, sleeping mats and tents for use on the boat and on the islands as there are no shops, tourist facilities or accommodations other than the Ulithi Adventure Lodge (http://ulithiadventurelodge.com). An on-demand air service provided by Pacific Mission Aviation (www.pmapacific.org) flies to Ulithi twice a week and Fais perhaps twice a month. Private sailing vessels may stop at the islands but visitors are advised to obtain the local chief’s permission to visit upon arrival. Women must cover their thighs with skirts or loose, knee-length shorts or pants and may not wear revealing bathing attire while on land. Accommodations on the main island of Yap range from economy hotels, an eco-lodge and a small, historic inn to resorts. But with fewer than 180 rooms on the entire island, it’s best to book early. There are no visa requirements. The U.S. dollar is the common currency and English the common language on the main island.  For more information, contact the Yap Visitors Bureau at www.visityap.com or yvb@mail.fm.

Outer Island Neighbor's Laundry

Outer Island Woman Weaving Traditional Lava Lava

Preparing the Warp

Outer Island Neighbor and her Sister Wearing Their Lava Lavas

Yapese Man Wearing a Lava Lava with Decorative Hibiscus Fiber

Examples of Lava Lava Patterns_L to R - first three are made of modern thread, other four are made of hibiscus fiber

Examples of Lava Lava Patterns and Selvages