Traditional Dhoni

By Forme

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Dhoni’s are a unique part of the Maldivian identity. A depiction of Maldives and its seas are almost incomplete without a dhoni in the picture.  

As an important part of Maldives’ identity, the early settlers had a very distinct way of building dhoni’s using what was most abundant in the islands – coconut timber. Traditionally, dhoni’s were built without any plans. The master carpenter will give an approximation of the measurements to his fellow carpenters and dhoni’s were handcrafted based on that. The Dhivehi dhoni was mostly used for fishing and travelling to nearby islands back then.  

Like dhoni, Aaaveee is very unique as well. The resort has a very customary design concept and it stands out from the other Maldivian resorts. The resort uses a lot of raw materials to build its own in-house furniture, and the wood, like the traditional dhoni’s, are all locally sourced. Another thing that sets Aaaveee apart is their emphasis on recycling materials. No timber is wasted, which means they improvise and find ways to use the access timber in the resort’s décor.  

My paintings are inspired by the methods used by the traditional carpenters. Just as the carpenters improvised whilst building their dhoni’s, I do the same with my paintings. I base my methods on natural strokes and lines and I want it to have a natural touch.

This story was done by form, for an emmenge vaahaka hedhun held at Dh. Dhoores, AaaaVeee.