This beautiful Nalot Knife has been hand-crafted from native wood that is insect free and passes Quarantine inspections by Barnabas Noel of the Torba Handicraft Cooperative.
Nalot is a pudding usually made from breadfruit or manioc mixed with coconut milk. It is a traditional staple food of northern Vanuatu which is prepared by pounding and cooking the breadfruit. A wooden pounder is used on a specially made wooden plate. Once the pudding is cooked, a wooden nalot knife is used to divide and cut the nalot.
Because it was traditionally the role of men to make and cut the nalot, the pounders and knives are carved with designs that reflect spiritual aspects of secret men’s societies and the rank of the man using the pounder and knife.
Many knives from Banks Islands (where these Torba knives are from) have a hole or a series of holes in the handle that represent the sacred fires or ovens in the men’s houses and reflect the owner’s rank. Others have the form of a human figure. Each section is separated by a carved ridge indicating the barriers that separate the different fires in the hut.
TORBA Handicraft Cooperative was established in 2018 in Vetimboso Village on the island of Vanua Lava in the northern province of Torba. Through the Torba Skills Centre, under the Vanuatu Skills Partnership, the local community has been supported to transform their skills and products into a significant income-generating activity. Not only is this strengthening the economic resilience of the community, but it is also promoting the value and vitality of its cultural heritage.
Made in Vanuatu
