Hawaiian women's journey of social change: Understanding the influence of colonial contact through clothing

This study begins a discussion on the importance of women's clothing as evidence of social change on the Hawaiian Islands colonial contact in the 19th century, a period of contact and conflict between Hawaiians and newly arrived Westerners which deeply affected aspects of ritual, social, and cultural life in ancient Hawaii. Changes in the socio-religious and cultural foundation of ancient Hawaii are visually marked through the transition from the traditional pa'u to the western-inspired holoku. The goal of this study is to utilize clothing, an aspect of visual culture, to understand the impact that colonial settlers had on the social roles of native women. To accomplish this, I utilize cultural histories, drawings, and photographs to draw connections between processes of social change and the evolution of dress. Ancient Hawaiians' assimilation to western clothing and adoption of western customs involved a complex process, including both yielding to western force and native strategic planning to strengthen their own position in a new order while fabricating a new indigenous identity.;This study will contribute to the current body of knowledge about ancient Hawaiian culture, as so little scholarship currently exists on the topic. Although several scholars have taken advantage of studying native visual culture as a method to gain further understanding of cultural histories of the pacific islands, there have been few studies that focus intensively on the particular problems and processes discussed in this thesis. Charting the changes in clothing styles as a reflection of social and cultural change has not been researched in the depth it deserves. Additionally, this thesis, through its more particularized study of the effects of colonization of Hawaii on women's clothing styles, serves as a case study for those who wish to understand broader issues connected to colonial influence, personal ornamentation, and the shaping of cultural identity.