The wonderful world of the “Pyekoko”
The list of items you can derive from a coconut tree (“pyekoko” in Creole) seems never-ending. I’ve noted the use of coconut milk in cooking and you should already know that mixing coconut cream with fresh pineapple and rum makes a mean Pina Colada. I’ve previously mentioned coconut water along with coconut sorbet and personally have a growing collection of bracelets, earrings and other accessories made from the shells of dry coconuts (“koko sec”). Recently, at a Creole cultural celebration I was taught to make another coconut product, a hat woven of coconut leaves.
The cultural celebration took place in Petit Bourg and was hosted by a local teachers union. The event featured various areas where attendees could partake in different activities such as toy making, basket weaving, and, of course, hat making. The gentleman at the hat station was very helpful and demonstrated the whole process; it actually wasn’t too hard after you got the hang of it.
The process starts with an entire coconut branch that is split sown the middle. A portion of one of the halves is cut roughly two inches more than the desired band of the hat. The stalk is then stripped down to about a quarter-inch thick; the shreds of stalk removed are used to tie the band in a circular shape. At this point, the weaving begins; it can be done in a variety of patterns. I was shown a weaving method that basically braided three leaves at a time in a circular pattern to make the hat’s brim. You separate, then gather the remaining lengths of the leaves at the point of the hat and weave downward to complete the shape. When satisfied with the downward weaving the remaining leaves are neatly clipped in conclusion.
We are on the look out for some more big branches to make a few more hats and a nice “How-to.”
Editor’s Note: I am aware that the hat I made is WAY to small. There weren’t enough branches for everyone to make a hat their head’s size; hence the search for more branches.
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