Seven Tannese women and girls, Tanna, ca.1890

“Tanna - Women semi-civilized. The petticoat, made of the pandanus and banana leaves, formed the only dress of the native women. Those in the picture have added a jacket of European cloth. The necklaces are made of shells.” Group portrait of seven women of varying ages. They stand in line on a grassed area with trees to the rear. Pandanus is a fruiting plant found in China, India, South East Asia, and Oceania where almost every part of the plant is used for housing, clothing and textiles, food, medication, decorative handicrafts, fishing, and religious uses.