Muʻumuʻu

The muokinaumuokinau (IPA-en|ˈmumu; Hawaiian: IPA-all|muʔumuʔu), commonly spelled muumuu, muu-muu or mumu, is a loose dress of Hawaiian origin that hangs from the shoulder. Like the Aloha shirt, muokinaumuokinau exports are often brilliantly colored with floral patterns of generic Polynesian motifs. Muokinaumuokinau for local Hawaiokinai residents are more subdued in tone. Muokinaumuokinau are not as widely worn at work as the aloha shirt, but may be worn as a uniform by women working in the hotel industry. Muokinaumuokinau are also popular as maternity gowns and with obese people because they do not restrict the waist.

Etymology and history

The word muokinaumuokinau means "moo" or "amputated" in Hawaiian. Originally it was a shorter, informal version of the more formal holokū. Holokū was the original name for the Mother Hubbard dress introduced by Protestant missionaries to Hawai'i in the 1820s and 1830s. The holokū featured long sleeves and a floor-length unfitted dress falling from a high-necked yoke. Over the years, the holokū approximated more closely to European and American fashions. It might have a fitted waist, and even a train for evening. As the holokū became more elaborate, the muokinaumuokinau, a shortened version, became popular for informal wear.

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/paideusis/n1la.html Journal article by Linda B. Arthur]