From drawings made by the first European visitors, we know how the Melanesians of the 18th century dressed.Whereas the kanak dress has resisted time and fashion changes over the years, the same cannot be said for the grass-skirt, the "manou" and other fibre skirts which have been replaced by the more conventional shorts or trousers.
Clothes in the 18th century
The chiefs and notables wore the tidi on their heads, a type of basketwork cylinder decorated with feathers and encircled by a headband inlaid with fine mother-of-pearl or fern leaves. Some were also adorned with a turban of beaten bark.
As for the rest of the population, their hair was left to grow long and separated into plats.
Naked, the men protected their genitals with a type of tapa case attached to their belt with cord.
The women were scantily dressed in a miniskirt made of banian, ficus or bourao fibres, rolled several times around their waist and falling onto their lower back. With decoctions of leaves and roots, the skirts were dyed brown, white, red or black.
The cords made of fruit bat hair woven with banana tree bark fibres were a symbol of fertility and were used as a belt for both men and women. The skirts which required several metres of these cords were rolled up in a cone shape to be presented during ceremonies and were considered to be amongst the gifts of great value.
The stones (jade, serpentine or green nephrite) were cut, peirced then hung on the fruit bat hairs to make pendants. More common were necklaces made of seashells, seeds, other types of shells, with the bracelets being cut into a cone shape and worn on the upper arm.
Clothing and the arrival of the missionaries
The "manou", a piece of material tied around the hips, made its appearance with the arrival of the missionaries around 1840. For a long time it remained the standard clothing for the bush, even worn with a shirt or vest.
Women's clothing was rapidly complemented by a loose blouse worn above the fibre skirt and was then replaced by the mission dress (or "popinée" dress), mid-length in printed cotton. Following some modifications, today's mission dress has a low neckline, a petticoat and is buttoned up the back. Mass-produced and decorated with lace, these charming dresses add a joyful note to everyday life as their colours are vibrant and designs very varied.
The clothes of today
Over the years, especially since the Second World War and the American presence, the international costume - trousers, shirt, skirt, tee-shirt and jumper has become the standard dress. Women however, still wear the mission dress.
Dance costume
Traditionally dancers wore clothes no different from their everyday ones. Today, participating in an imitative dance offers dancers the opportunity of participating in a spiritual return to the time of their ancesters. On this occasion, they discard their usual clothes to dress either entirely or partially in special costumes made of natural fibres. The making of the different pieces of this costume requires a lot of work which the women often participate in.
The dance costume comprises :
- The skirt made of bourao branches, coconut leaves or pandanus roots. Small 30 centimetre skirts are also worn around the arms and legs. They are made in the same way.
- The "sonnailles" are musical instruments which are an integral part of the costume. There are 2 types of "sonnailles" : those made from a dried fruit or shell base, and those made with young leaves from the yellow coconut. They can be used as gaiters.
- The belt is made of a liana which is rolled 4 or 5 times around the dancer's waist. The circles are then attached with the help of a little cord also made of liana, to surround the belt. The 2 extremities of the liana, with a length of 70 centimetres, are upright on the dancer's back.
- The headdress is usually made of lianas and green woven leaves. Some also use banian bark and bird feathers.
The costumes may be left in their original colours or coloured using natural dyes. The dancers may also wear a club or an assegai.
For less important social events, the dancers may only wear a few pieces of the costume as well as their everyday clothes, for example, a natural wreath and "sonnailles". The women wear the mission dress and a natural headdress.
Bibliography
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