Saqa Moli - The Object
The saqamoli is a small clay vessel used for the purposes of drinking water. This vessel consists of 3 similarly sized hollow bulbs, all interconnected to one another allowing for the passage of water from one bulb to the next. At the top of each bulb there is the starting of a stirrup, which extends upwards towards a center where they interconnect creating a handle for the vessel. Found on one bulb is an opening at the top for filling the vessel and on another bulbs is an upwardly angled spout from which people could drink.
Clay is the main component of the Saqamoli, and it has been blended with sand which acts as a temper. The outside of the vessel is coated with a resin extracted from the Makadre gum of the Kauri pine tree native to Fiji, which provides it with it water proofing properties and its distinctive brown-red colouring.
Decorative Styles used in Fijian Pottery
The saqamoli is a common item and could be found among the possessions of most Fijian households and they came in variety of sizes, with larger ones being used to store versus drink water.
Saqa came in a variety of shapes as well, with the suffix of the name being used to distinguish between the designed. For example, 'moli' means citrus in the Fijian language and that is why the saqamoli is crafted in the shape of a bunch of cirtus fruit.
They were also decorated to differing degrees depending on who the saqamoli was being made for, with those of higher status tending to have more heavily decorated saqamoli. The different incised, applied and impressed decorative styles can be seen above.
Saqamoli - Catalogue number 2012/12, part of the UCL Ethnography Collection.
Circumference per bulb: ~31.3 cm
Length: 20.4 cm
Height: 11.1 cm
Sources
MAA, M. of A. and A.C., 2016. Pottery Z 3519 | MAA Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
MVA, M.V.A., 2016. Ceramic water bottle Saqa moli [WWW Document]. URL http:// museumvictoria.com.au/Riji/details.aspx? pid=788&Mode=ByTopic&Topic=householdANDdaily_life
Oasis TV, 2010. 336 pottery making Riji style. P.C., P.C., 2016. Discussion with Delphine Mercier.
Rossitto, R., 1995. Stylistic Change in Fijian Pottery. Pac. Stud. 18.
SFU, S.F.U., 2010. Fijian Pottery at Nakabuta Village [WWW Document]. URL http:// www.sfu.ca/archaeology-old/museum/Rijipots/index.htm
UCL, U.E.C., n.d. Vessel with three bulbs, and two holes on top surface [WWW Document].
Relation to Power in Society
The saqamoli as stated was a very common place utensil. It was made by people using the materials they would find available to them outside of their homes. However, while common place, the practices surrounding the use and craft of saqamolis tells a story of hierarchical power within the Fijian culture.
For a common person Saqas would be used by holding it at arms length and pouring the water into ones mouth from a height. This is a cumbersome practice to follow, but the reasoning behind it is related to the relationship between those of a lower social status and the chieftains that governed within their villages.
Chieftans were the only people who were allowed to lay their lips upon a saqa. Speculation around the reasons for this practice leans in two directions. The first being that the common people would follow the practice as a show of respect to their leaders, the other being that the chieftains would enforce this custom as a show of power over their people. Some believe it to be a combination of the two.
As Fijian culture progressed, in the mid 1800's the chiefs of the Bau and Rewa tribes whose sphere of influence within Fiji had increased commissioned the creation of Saqa that were more 'chiefly'. They wanted specially crafted, taboo saqamoli that Nasilai potters would create only for them and only be used by them.
In a more contemporary setting saqamoli holds a different value. In its current context the saqamoli is now considered a valuable artefact and acts as a representation of an entire cultures craft practices.
However, in contrast to this the saqamoli has been stripped of all of its artistic value. While saqamolis are functional items, the decorations and design of the vessel was an important part of it's craft. In it's current western context however, it is not prized for its artistic value the same way a clay-work from a famous western artist would have been. This is made clear by the fact that no saqamoli, including those which are far more heavily decorated and likely to have been possessed by Fijian chieftains, are found in western art museums, but instead are held within ethnographic or anthropological collections.
This shows that the power an object holds is purely context based. Whether something is priceless or worthless is a matter of perspective.