It was a day of fun and learning for the children who attended the Fiji Museum Bakanawa Canoe Making Program as they put into practice what they had learned during the two-day program.
The children learned how to build traditional canoes (Drua) from wood and other materials, and they set sail their new canoes at the My Suva Park.
Trainer Biu Veiqaravi, who is from Ono Island in Lau, says the focus of this program is to revive a unique game that has always been played on the islands.
He says it was great to see the children come out in numbers to learn how to build traditional canoes.
Veiqaravi says it is disheartening to see that there were fewer children from Lau taking part in the program, but he hopes more children will be part of it in the future.
He adds that it was great to see an Indo-Fijian family taking part, as it shows our diversity.
The Fiji Museum says the focus of the program is to revive traditional knowledge that is starting to be forgotten.
They say it also engages children in learning about our culture, rather than being constantly occupied with phones or other negative activities.
