Arts & Cultures Collections Database

This skirt is used as traditional dance attire for Yapese dancers. Before bcoming traditional dance wear, skirts were worn as daily clothing for Yapese people, but with the modernization of society, the skirt transitioned to only being used for dance purposes. Despite the use of the skirt changing, the culutral ideals and traditions of the Yapese are still preserved in the skirt itself because of indigenous knowledge that Yapese people hold about the process it takes to make skirts and what the skirt can be used for. It can be used for all types of dances throughout Yap; women's, stick, or standing dances. Typically, all Yapese people perform traditional dances sometime throughout their life, so the skirt can be worn by both genders of all ages. The skirts are usuallly made from the pandanus plant and leaves and they take about a month to make. The process includes harvesting the pandanus leaves, drying them out in the sun, dying the leaves different colors using natural and artificial dyes and tying everything together using a rope made of hibiscus or pandanus. The only classification method used with the skirt is the type of color scheme used to distinguish age groups. The younger the dancer performer, the more vibrant and bright the colors of the skirt are. The older a dancer is, the natural color of the pandanus leaves are used more often, giving the skirt a more brown and dull tone. Dance performers usually wear this skirt with no top and necklaces.