Gate Market...

One of the most facinating things here is our local "farmer's market". Because there is a 12 month growing season every fresh thing you can think of is available. Apples, peaches, nectarines, ... and things that need freezing weather, like garlic, plums, etc., tho, don't do well, but everything else you can imagine is outside our security gate every Monday and Thursday from 4-5:30 pm.

This picture was from our first visit to market. The total cost was about $4.50, and I didn't even have the pineapple in view! The green onions were probably 2' long; the 'heap' of kaukau (sweet potato) cost about $.50; the avocados were $.40 each...the variety of things is amazing, too.

Also at market is a craft section where you can get bilums, meri blauses, baskets, jewelry, some pottery now and then. It's great fun and saves us all from having to go into town to the fresh market there. This is much safer, too.

The security shack in in the foreground...you can see the meri blauses hanging on the fence and people are begining to gather. Whole extended families come together so there are more Citizens that patrons. The men do the crafts (artifacts) and the women are typically the gardeners. If you look closely, you can see the men gathered at the left end and all the women are to the right. Roles here are very distinct and men and women do not sit together.

We're into the rainy season so you can see the water in the little ditch. But still, it never gets cold here but when it rains, it POURS! No wind like Ketchikan, tho. I can handle that! Do you notice the bags almost everyone carries? They are "bilum" (long e sound). They are now made with yarn that is cut into pieces, re-rolled and combined with other colors or fibers. They used to be made from natural plant fibers and you can still find them that way, too, but they are getting more and more colorful with many complicated patterns. They aren't crocheted or knitted - it's another method that is facinating to watch. Bilums are amazing! They don't look particularly big, but they stretch enough to carry a pig, a child, your household belongings, whatever you want to carry.

Everyone carries a bilum...men, women and children. The typical way is to hang it from your head, thus the wide strap. This allows one's hand to be free to carry other things. I agree...this is really quite comfortable and well balanced. They had the idea of backpacks long before we in the West did! The other thing that everyone carries as a matter of course, is a machetti. It's their main tool and is used for a plethora of functions.