Pandana leaf mats - ubiquitous in iTokei households and a perfect carpet substitute

The pandana plant is a kind of palm that is washed, dried, split, and woven into large mats, or kuta, for the main living rooms of traditional houses.

The main living room would have a mat that was nearly wall to wall.  Family would sit and relax, eat, and sleep on the mat.  They are dry and comfortable, and create an important insulating layer between the cold ground or floor.  

Apparently the weaving of the edges may have patterns particular to villages or clans.

I took this photo to show the satellite dish in the small village of Rokovuaka in Ra, which suffered tremendously due to Cyclone Winston; however, the villagers have banded together to continue their livelihoods and have established some normalcy.  The completed kuta mats are in the foreground, drying.  One very large family-sized mat might take a week to weave.  In the mid-ground, clothes dry on the lines and pillows and bed-sheets air out in the sun.  The houses and environment are very humid, and consequently mould grows vigorously on pillows, mattresses, and on any organic materials in the house, including wood and leather.  Around homes, it is common in villages and towns to see the airing and sunning of clothes and household soft furnishings for health and hygiene.  In contrast to the space afforded in villages (seen in these photos), urban squatting settlements are highly congested (images pending).  Stagnant water around the squatter dwellings creates a constant wet environment.  Some households try to dig drains around their shelters to move the water away, but the density of the area does not allow for air circulation in and around the home to aid in drying out the 'yards' or facilitating air flow through the homes, and the water courses dug are often blocked a few metres in any direction due to the unplanned locations of the houses and lanes.  I imagine that the respiratory and skin issues in squatter areas would be serious, but I have yet to enter, observe, and ask.  I would be grateful for links to literature on health in the squatting areas in the comment section.