On March 4, 1998, The Fiji Times featured a story on how the villagers of Navilawa had developed a skill in saddle making.
Navilawa Village was located at the end of a rough and bumpy road. Nestled in the forest at the base of the Sleeping Giant Range of Sabeto, near Nadi, it was a green and serene place.
For a long time, the villagers depended on their gardens and a small eco-tourism venture to sustain their livelihoods. However, they had recently established a saddlery that had become so well-known in the Western Division that it attracted customers willing to traverse the challenging road and cross two rivers for a good deal.
This cottage industry was initiated by John Dualase, who attended a saddle making workshop run by the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH), a British-based charity.
Mr. Dualase started by repairing saddles for people in Navilawa and nearby villages. As demand increased, he trained his sons and other village youth in this newfound skill. He also trained his daughters, who were eager to learn.
In the evenings, the village youth could be seen working on saddles around the yaqona bowl, and during the day after finishing their farm work. They repaired over 50 saddles and eventually began making new ones, all entirely by hand.
This changed when ILPH’s International Training and Development director, Andre Buber, visited Navilawa during an annual saddle-making course. Impressed by their achievements, he managed to secure funds to buy electrical equipment to help improve productivity.
The electric saw drill assisted Mr. Dualase in making the saddle “trees” – the two pieces of wood that form the saddle’s base. Proper shaping and sanding of these pieces were crucial for creating a good saddle that was comfortable for horses.
With the new equipment, they could produce three panels in the time it previously took to make one, with more precise cuts. They planned to start a subsidiary business to sell these panels to other saddle makers and hoped to receive some small business management training.
“This is what ILPH wants to encourage,” Mr. Buber said. “If we can teach skills that improve income and lifestyle, as well as the health of local horses, we are happy. In Navilawa, we see the whole village benefitting from a small cottage industry that has challenged the commercial saddle makers.”
Saddles, which used to sell for $250 in hardware shops, now cost much less due to the competition from John and others he had trained. Mr. Dualase sold his saddles for up to $200, using all locally available material. The only task they hadn’t mastered was the blacksmithing work on the frame.
Mr. Dualase noted that the village horses were much healthier and more willing to work with good saddles.