Overview
This Fiji Times newspaper is printed on masi (bark cloth) – an unexpected use of an indigenous material. Paper may have been in short supply on the islands at the time.
Missionaries introduced literacy to Fiji and other Pacific islands from the late 1700s. The written word opened up a whole new way of viewing and understanding the world.
The Fiji Times began in 1869 and continues today. This ‘edition’ from 1891 is printed on a single sheet of masi which, when unfolded, makes a four-page spread. Look closely to read the news of the day.