Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-28
THE PAN ANA HAT
TRUTHS ABOUT IT'S ORIGIN AND
MANUFACTURE.
Plant From Which the Fiber is Oh
tanned is Not a Palm-Not
Made Under Water.

With Panama hats in such unprecedented
demand as they are this season. 1t is not
surprising that much has been written con-
corning them.
The plant from which is obtained the ma
terial Of which the hats are made is COM
monty called the Panama hat palm, al
though botanists do not group it under the
head of palms, classifying 1t under the
name cyclanthacecoe. The botanical name
Of the particular species with which we
are concerned is Carludovica palmata. The
South American natives call il Palma de
Pima. 1t is indigenous to parts of Ecuador.
Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Central Amer
lea.
Right here it may be well to define GER
tain terms that have been used by writer's
in connection with this subject and which
nave appeared in ad ertisements in the
daily papers, without their meaning being
clear.
The word Jipijapa is really the name of
an interior town in Ecuador, and the ma
ives in that part of the country commonly
speak of the Panama hat as the Jipijapa
nat Another word that has been frequent
~ used in Manabi This is the name of a
province in Ecuador, and Manabi NAT is also
synonymous with Panama hat. In Mauabi
province is the city of Monte Cristi where
some exceedingly fine hats come from
Toauilla Straw.
The expression paja toqu.lla has been
erroneously used by some writer's as being
the name of the plant, but it is the name
Of the straw obtained from the plant, as
any one who knows Spanish might readily
have understood, since the word paja means
straw.
Many of our readers will be surprised to
Know that this straw is made from the fat
leaf, and not from the stalk of the plant
for casual glance at the exterior surface
OF Panama hat would give the impression
that the hat was woven from a fiber of
cylindrical form. However, close scrutiny
OF the inner surface of the hat will disclose
the fact that the fiber is not cylinder.
The method of preparing the straw is
foiiows: Young plants, not over four or
i1Ve feet In height, are used for this pur
pose. Only the leaves that are young, stiff
and in prime condition can be used. These
are split into narrow strips by the native,
who for this purpose uses his finger nails.
But the strips are not separated at the
stalk end. These punches are then bleac hed
in the sun. Up to this point you still have
the fiat straw, but what we shall call the
rounding, for want of better name, is ac-
complished by the deft-fngered native
aided by the natural tendency of the strip
to curl. The strip is rolled from each of its
two edges toward its middle, and thus is
formed ready for plating into hat body,
that excellent straw with no raw edges,
and which is deceptively like a cylinder.
The Candle Light Story
The French Panamas are made of this
same material, which is exported to Nancy,
Saar Union and other places in Europe
where the French Panama hats are made.
The statements that Panama hats are
made under water and that the very fine
ones are woven only by candle light are
characterized as incorrect by a man who
has all his life been enga ged a first hand
in the Panama hat trade. and who has not
only seen the hats made hut has made
Panama hats himself
1t is true that the hats are woven in the
early morning hours. when the atmosphere
is damp as the heat of the sun makes the
fiber brittle and unfit for manipulation. At
night the hat is hung out in the open air.
where X aDSOrbS the dew and is the next
day again in condition to be worked This
accounts for the great length of time re-
CURED in the hat making, one Of the very
fine grades requiring upward of three and
a half months to produce.
The hat is woven on block which IS held
between the knees of the operator, although
some of the very coarse hats are woven on
the knee of the native too poor to own a hat
block. Men, women and children among the
native Indians are engaged in the weaving
of the hats. To the children is intrusted
only the making of the coarser grades and
the youngsters become more skillful from
year to year, and in time some of them be-
come experts, capable of making the eX-
| ceedingly fine hats. Those who have long
been engaged in the handling of the Pan
anna hats know from glance at the button
from what locality the hat comes. The but
ton is the little central portion of the crown
Of the hat, at which point the weaving be-
gins and extends outward toward the edge.
Costly Headgear.
While a great deal has been written about
500 and $3.50 hats. it must be remembered
that these are few in number. When one
takes into consideration that broken straw
or straw not matching in color the rest Of
the hat, or knot showing, makes the hat
defective, it will be realized that there can
not be many of these extremely fine hats
produced. The finishing Of the hat Is an
operation requiring much skill. because
each Of the overlapping fbers has to be
nicely turned back into the edge of the
crown and trimmed off.
OF course, most people in the trade are by
this time aware that the Panama hats are
not made in Panama at all. The great ma
jority of the hats made in Peru and Ecua-
dor find their way to Guayaquii, whence
they are shipped to Panama, and, after
crossing the isthmus, are shipped from Co
lon This Is not true Of the hats made in
Colombia, many of whihc are shipped from
Cartagena or Savanilla.