Betikama Carvings

By Linda Oti

Across the Lunga river from Henderson airfield stands Betikama Adventist High School, some seven miles from Honiara, Guadalcanal.

Standing where an army once stood, its campus, classrooms and dormi tories make fine scenery from the air for tourists entering the Solomon Islands. These visitors are pleased to take the opportunity of visiting Betikama because there is a school industry that encourages Solomon Island handcraft. This is Betikama Carvings.

Visitors come to this thatch-roof pavilion to watch and to buy carvings created by skilled craftsmen and students. Besides displayed historic items, and a display of hand carvings, the students sing traditional and locally written songs to the beat of bamboo drums. Visitors may watch carvings being made from Naginagi or Kerosene wood. The carvers use an axe to chop the wood then the chavi or small adze is used to carve the shape more clearly. A sharp pocket knife or chisel then works the detail and the file removes marks. They finish it by using rough then fine sand paper and a clear polish. Shell inlay designs on these carvings are made with a Nautilus shell, using a local glue called Tita. Carvings range from fish, crocodiles, dolphins and birds to the custom head or Nguzu nguzu which was the protector of the war canoes.

This all began two years ago when one of the teachers led some students in starting an industry where they could earn money for their school and for themselves. These 12 folk began in the tractorshed and went in to meet a tour ship to sell their crafts.

The results encouraged the school to

allow tour companies to bring their tour groups. The demand grew and grew and it became obvious that a proper carving centre was needed.

From its income, the industry built a 75 ft work pavilion with showroom and already this has become too cramped. This year a 25 by 22 ft ex pansion of the showroom is being built to display the completed work.

It will feature a small thatched build ing to show how men are doing work in their villages.

By the end of 1972 the school had sold 2,000 carvings on behalf of the village folk and as many on behalf of the students and school. Some carvings are ordered by buyers. From this industry, carvings have been sent to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, USA, Canada, Britain and Asia or where ever the orders came from.

Betikama Carvings entered some work in the South Pacific Festival of Arts to represent the Solomon Islands.

Later its work was used for an Air Pacific display in Fiji, then Brisbane.

It has almost completed a war canoe in detail and the Solomon Islands Government in September sent a gift made at the school to the opening of the Sydney Opera House.

Some income from Betikama Carvings is used in helping the school grow but most of it goes back to the student or to the village carver who made it. This means that all income is used by the people inside the Solomon Islands. The industry has encouraged young men who are learning skills with their hands and some gain experience for their Cambridge Art exams. Betikama Carvings helps students do things for themselves, it helps the school, it helps others and it helps the country.

A carver at work at Betikama.