Mu'umu'u

The mu’umu’u is an example of the indigenous adoption of European clothing in the Pacific Islands. It is a women's garment that is also known as the “mother hubbard” or vinivo in parts of island Melanesia.

Before Christian missionaries from Europe arrived in the Pacific Islands at the end of the eighteenth century, Pacific Islanders usually wore loin cloths, short skirts, or went without clothing. The missionaries introduced their ideas of decency and fashion to the communities in which they settled, and indigenous items of clothing were replaced by trousers, jackets and long flowing European dresses such as the Mother Hubbard. Such garments were uncomfortable and unsuitable for the climate. However, Pacific Islanders took some of the elements of European fashion, successfully combining them with elements of their own - and have been doing so ever since.

Diplomatic Occasions

This example of a mu'umu'u, was made by a Hawaii based fashion designers Maile Visions. It is decorated with a pattern named kukui which can be translated to mean light or enlightenment. It was worn in the 1990s by Dia Jonassen, the wife of CooIslands diplomat Jon Jonassen, at formal occasionin New Zealand and elsewhere.

Acquisition History

The mu'umu'u was acquired from Mrs Jonassen in 1997