Plaited Mat, “Jaki-ed”
date: label: Accession Date
content: 9 Dec 2019
label: Collection Date
content: Apr 2018 to May 2018
name: label: Donor Name
content: National Museum of Natural History
notes: label: Notes
content: Rectangular "jaki-ed" mat composed of prepared pandanus leaves and hibiscus bark fibers plaited in geometric designs. Some of the pandanus fibers were dyed black with RIT dye, and the others left undyed. The mat is created with three main sections plaited separately and attached to each other: the main mat interior, an outer border strip (iñiñ), and a raised strip "bokwaj" (bǫkwōj) which covers the seams between the mat and the iñiñ. The heart of the mat (jouj) is an undecorated central block plaited of undyed fiber on the main mat interior. Around this cental portion is a wide band plaited in designs using alternating black and undyed fibers to create complex geometric shapes with diamonds. At each corner of the mat interior, the dark fibers are plaited to create solid dark squares. The raised braid (bǫkwōj) around the perimeter of the mat is plaited from a combination of dyed and undyed fibers and is attached on top of both sides of the mat. The border of the mat (iñiñ) is plaited with undyed fiber. The three sections are combined with thread made of hibiscus inner bark fiber, which is called "lo" in the Marshallese language. Made by Susan Jieta, a master weaver from Mejit Atoll, Marshall Islands. She, along with Rosie Helmorey, visited the NMNH in April-May 2018 with Dr. Ingrid Ahlgren to examine the Smithsonian's Marshallese mat collection. Dr. Ahlgren commissioned the two mats to be made and brought to the Smithsonian for purchase.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 21 Jan 2020
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Mejit Atoll, Ratak Chain, Marshall Islands, Micronesia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Marshallese
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 2084047
label: USNM Number
content: E436263-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Mat
physicalDescription: label: Maximum Length
content: 116 cm
label: Maximum Width
content: 84.5 cm