Straw Plaiting

Straw work is the oldest surviving Bahamian craft, worked in the dried leaf of the silver top palm, in sisal and in coconut frond, and made almost entirely by women. Two techniques dominate: plaiting, in which long strips are braided and then stitched into shape, and coiling, in which a bundle of fibre is wound in a spiral and bound with a second strand, which is the technique the Red Bays community on Andros uses in its own distinct form. The plaits have names and each island has patterns associated with it. Hats, bags, mats and baskets are the products, and the good ones take days.

What you actually see

• Plaiting - long braided strips stitched into shape.
• Coiling - the spiral technique used most distinctively at Red Bays.
• Silver top palm - the leaf most of the work is made from.
• Island patterns - plaits associated with particular islands.

When to go

Year-round. Family island workshops work on weekdays. The Nassau straw market has makers stitching behind some stalls, though a majority of goods there are imported. Buying from a maker on a family island supports the craft directly.

Honest expectations

Most of what is sold in Nassau as straw work is imported and machine made. Genuine work is uneven, tightly stitched and costs several times more; if a hat is perfectly regular and cheap, it was not made here. The craft is carried by an ageing group of makers and the number of people learning it is small.

Nearby

Red Bays on Andros has the distinct coiling tradition; the Nassau market has the volume.