How does a pāʻū rider wear her skirt?
Many riders will tell you: It depends on what your kūpuna (elders) taught you.
When horses were introduced to the Islands in the early 1800s, Hawaiians of all genders embraced horseback riding as a mode of travel.
Pāʻū riders on the island of Kauaʻi; Nawiliwili; Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi. (1890) by Joaquin A. GonsalvesBernice Pauahi Bishop Museum
Women riders, who rode astride rather than sidesaddle, came to be known as pāʻū riders because of the long pāʻū (skirts) they wrapped around themselves, which protected their elegant dresses or their day clothes as they galloped across the land.
Over time, these skirts became more elaborate & fashionable.
By the twentieth century, pāʻū riding was transformed into a pageantry tradition for parades and festivals.
In a 1906 series of photographs, a pāʻū rider demonstrates the steps for draping her pāʻū ahead of the first official Floral Parade, set for February 22 of that year.
Pāʻū draping is a complicated art, involving wrapping, folding, and knotting the skirt multiple times; the cloth is secured by twisting it around kukui nuts and tucking it into the waistline. It is said that rough nuts are better than polished, as the ridges help hold the fabric tight.
The exact method of draping, however, varies from rider to rider.
Pāʻū customs—from the design of the rider’s clothes to how they are worn—are often passed down generationally, as young riders learn from the practices and manaʻo (beliefs) of their kūpuna.
While most riders use six nuts to fasten their pāʻū, some use more or less. Some believe that pāʻū skirts and accessories should be simple; others favor flamboyant patterns and lei.
Pāʻū riders; Hawaiʻi. (1900) by Photographer unknownBernice Pauahi Bishop Museum
"It seems a simple thing, putting on several yards of bright-colored cloth as a skirt and sitting in a saddle with the ends of the cloth floating to the breeze far behind the flanks of the horses...
...but there is an art in adjusting the skirt, and a novice would be bewildered."—From The Pacific Commercial Advertiser, February 4, 1906
