Hawaiian cowboy "papale"-style hat

ca.1940

This “papale” style hat is a factory made cloth hat that resembles the earlier Hawaiian “papale” hats worn by paniolo cowboys prior to the mid-1880s. The hats made prior to the mid-1880s were often weaved by a female relative out of dried leaves from the native pandanus tree. Currently papale weaving is a rare and dying art form, which is uncommon skillset. The cloth hat worn by Masatsu “Masa” Kawamoto shows the effect of industrialization on Hawaiian society after the 1880s. The hat was an essential piece of the paniolo cowboy’s clothing because it was used as protection against the different weather conditions that cowboys experience.