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Tens of thousands of metres of coconut sennit are used to lash Samoan houses together. Nowhere is this more noticeable than in the roof with its many structural members held together with the cordage.

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O le 'Afa Samoa Coconut sennit - a verstile fibre at the base of Samoan culture

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As a form of cultural currency, fine mats are presented to builders during a ceremony to mark the completion of a traditional house.

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Samoa is a country of great natural beauty with a rich and distinguished cultural heritage. Living in seeming isolation from the rest of the world in the vast Pacific Ocean, Sāmoans have developed over several millennia, an extensive body of traditional ecological knowledge giving rise to a wide range of artisanal skills enabling them to create all they need to live in comfort and safety.

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The fine mats made by the women of Apai on the island of Manono, are greatly admired for their white colour that turns coppery over time. The pandanus leaves are bleached after four days and nights in the sea.

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The stripped pandanus leaves are soaked in the sea for four nights, an ingenious process that bleaches the fibre.

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Women work in groups when preparing the pandanus. The softened leaf is stripped lengthwise giving rise to the name "'ie sae" or stripped leaves. The top side of each leaf is stripped from the bottom.

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After removing the spines, the pandanus leaves are rolled up for boiling in water until soft.

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The leaves of the lau'ie plant, the variety of pandanus used to make the finest mat of Samoa, have serrated edges and a serrated spine that must be removed first.