Overview
This Hawaiian hat from the late 1700s is one of few of its kind in the world. The form is an introduced European style, but the materials and techniques are local. The frame is made from the ‘ie‘ie vine, covered with a fine netting of olonā (rainforest shrub) and bands of coloured feathers.
By 1805, the hat had travelled half the world and was in a London museum. A century later, it was bought by Charles Winn. He was the grandfather of the man who donated it to Te Papa, along with other Pacific treasures that had spent many years in England.