For many years the authors have been concerned at the swift loss of culture and traditional skills in island societies due to the inroads of modern lifestyles and manufactured goods. This project was intended to record in photographs, diagrams, and bilingual text as many indigenour technical skills and their artistic extensions as possible, and to present them in easy-to-follow detail. Additionally, they sought to encourage the community to add to this file of knowledge before skilled elders die or emmigrate.
The elders' lessons were recorded between 16 July and 22 September, 1990 in Niue. This first volume is drawn from that file. The teachers are women and men strong with skill and knowledge. Their identities are in the land that gives them a place to stand and the materials with which they work. Probably they are the last generation of their kind. It is hoped that they have been assisted in building a bridge to future generations of Niuean descendants, school children, artists, scholars, and others who will gain strength from their knowledge.
