What do you think this is?

Where do you think it was made?

What do you think it's made of?

This is a grass skirt used in the traditional Hura dance of the Cook Islands!! It was made there in the 1930s, and purchased and brought to the US by Warner Karshner and his wife Ella while they were on a tour there. They donated it to the Karshner Center in 1934.

It was made of grass on the island of its origin, although which specific one is unknown to us. The Cook Islands are a group of 15 islands in the South Pacific Ocean, a bit northeast of New Zealand.

For more information, visit:

• This artifact in the Karshner Digital Collections
• Artifact Worksheets you can use in your classroom or for homeschool
• Polynesia [DK]
• The History of Hula