Many of the Relief Society sisters on the island of Tubuai in French Polynesia knew Nativity sets had always been a part of Yves R. Perrin's family Christmas tradition.

So after Brother Perrin, former president of the Tahiti Papeete Mission, returned to Salt Lake City they sent him a hand-made creche - something they had never made before and never plan to make again.The one-of-a-kind Nativity scene, made from woven fibers by the sisters who traditionally make hats, baskets and mats, is on display with other creches at the Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City.

"It is something very, very special," Brother Perrin said. "It was really hard to make. It was a combined effort. The sisters were kind of amazed at what they could do."

Brother Perrin, who has collected creches from throughout the world, said he has never seen anything like the Tubuai set, explaining it is unique to the island.

"For me, Nativities represent the religious art of a culture," he explained. "Many countries have some type of Nativities."

Brother Perrin called creches an artistic interpretation of the birth of Christ.

"It is beautiful art," he said. "Nativities for centuries have been the source of enjoyment. It is bringing the birth of Christ into the local culture and making it real and visible for them."

Brother Perrin said the many creches on display at the Church museum represent a good sampling of the hundreds of different types of Nativity sets created around the world.

Some of the many creches include: carved narra wood from the Philippines, painted wood from Sri Lanka, a layered fabric picture from Peru, painted cast plaster from India and Italy, carved olive wood from Israel and painted Terra-cotta from Egypt.

Also on display is a retable, or a type of Andean folk art in which a series of pictorial scenes are arranged to relate a historical drama. The retable nativity scene, created by Jeronimo Lozano, features more than 100 different figures celebrating the birth of Christ.

Robert Davis, curator of the display, said the museum has exhibited Nativity scenes for the last decade.

Richard Oman, a museum curator, said the exhibit is a wonderful opportunity for the museum to represent "Christ and the international nature of the Church." He called the display, which has pieces from every continent except Antartica, a "downtown antidote to Santa Claus."