Bishop Museum

The Bishop Museum, in partnership with Michigan State University, will develop ‘Ike Papale, The Living Legacy of Hawaiian Hats, a project honoring and examining the rich traditions of Hawaiian hat-making. Working with the Hawaiian weaving community, project team members will build a body of documentation on all aspects of Hawaiian papale (hat) weaving. With grant funds, the project team will expand documentation of contemporary papale weavers, travel to meet with advisory team members, and obtain licensing rights and images of contemporary woven hats for use in future display and publication. The project ultimately aims to build a collection of published and primary resources, create an exhibition that will tour the Hawaii Islands and the U.S. mainland, and develop an online, searchable resource on Hawaiian hat weaving history and traditions and master hat weavers.