Scanty Clothing & Natural Body Wear
“These people are scanty in their clothing, very few of the Men wear any thing more than the Maro [loin wrap], but the women have a piece of cloth wraped round the waist [kihei], so as to hang down like a petticoat as low as the knee; all the rest of the body is naked. Their ornaments are braclets, necklaces and Amulets, which are made of shells, bone or stone; They have also neat Tippets [hand-held kahili] made of red and yellow feathers, and Caps and Cloaks covered with the same or some other feathers; the cloakes, reach to about the middle of the back, and are like the short cloakes worn by the women in England, or like the riding cloaks worn in Spain. The Caps [mahiole] are made so as to fit very close to the head with a semicircular protuberance on the crown exactly like the helmets of old. These and also the cloaks they set so high a Value upon that I could not procure one, some were however got.” (pg. 280)
1778 February. Fascinating journaling by Captain James Cook. First eyewitness writing re Hawaiian wear on the island of Kaua`i. Look for more. Or all in: THE VOYAGE OF THE RESOLUTION AND DISCOVERY – 1776-1780, J.C. BEAGLEHOLE.
Tags: Hawaiian Stories
