page_title: Marshallese culture
section_title: Clothing and dress
hierarchical_section_title: Marshallese culture / Modern culture / Clothing and dress
caption_attribution_description: English: Liijabor from Likiep Island, Likiep Atoll (Marshall islands), wearing a traditional nieded or clothing mat.
context_page_description: The culture of the Marshall Islands forms part of the wider culture of Micronesia. It is marked by pre-Western contact and the impact of that contact on its people afterward. The Marshall Islands were relatively isolated. Inhabitants developed skilled navigators, able to navigate by the currents to other atolls. Prior to close contact with Westerners, children went naked and men and women were topless, wearing only skirts made of mats of native materials.
  Land was and remains the most important measure of a family's wealth. Land is inherited through the maternal line.
  Since the arrival of Christian missionaries, the culture has shifted from a subsistence-based economy towards a more traditional western economy and modesty standards have shifted to include women covering their bare thighs.
  The people are friendly and peaceful. Strangers are received warmly. Consideration for others is important to the Marshallese people. Family and community are important. Concern for others is an outgrowth of their dependence on one another. They have lived for centuries on isolated coral atolls and islands.
context_section_description: The men wore a fringe skirt of native materials about 25 to 30 inches (60 to 80 cm) long. Women traditionally wore two mats about a yard (metre) square each, made by weaving pandanus and hibiscus leaves together, and belted around the waist. Children were usually naked.
  The missionaries influenced the islanders' notions of modesty. In 1919, a visitor reported that Marshall Islands women "are perfect models of prudery. Not one would think of exposing her ankles..." Every lagoon was led by a king and queen and a following of chieftains and chief women who comprised a ruling caste. Some of the leaders maintained Western-style bungalows and maintained servants, including secretaries, maids, and valets.
  Poverty was non-existent. The islanders worked the copra plantations under the watchful eye of the Japanese, who took a portion of the sales. Chiefs could retain as much as US$20,000 per year. The remainder was distributed to the workers. The Marshall islanders were formerly aggressive, but the influence of the mission churches eliminated most conflict. They took pride in extending hospitality to one another, even distant relatives.
  Women in the Marshall Islands today are still very modest. They believe a woman's thighs and shoulders should be covered. Women generally wear cotton muʻumuʻus or similar clothing that covers most of the body. While personal health is never discussed except within the family, and although women are especially private about female-related health issues, they are willing to talk about their breasts.
  Marshall island women swim in muʻumuʻus which are made of a fine polyester that quickly dries. In the capital of Majuro, revealing cocktail dresses are inappropriate for both islanders and guests. With the increasing influence of Western media, the younger generation may wear shorts, though the older generation equates shorts with loose morals. T-shirts, jeans, skirts, and makeup are making their way via the media to the islands.
caption: A woman named Liijabor from Likiep Atoll in the Marshal Islands wears a traditional nieded or clothing mat, circa 1918.
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