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Asulu is akilt-like garment worn by men and women inFiji since colonisation in the nineteenth century.
Etymology The wordsulu (pronunciation: soo-loo) literally means clothes or cloth in the iTaukei language.
The first sulus were brought by missionaries coming fromTonga in the nineteenth century and were initially worn by iTaukei Fijians to indicate their conversion to Christianity. It is now regarded as Fiji'snational dress[1] even though pre-colonial iTaukei Fijian traditional clothing consisted ofloincloth garments such as themalo and theliku.[2]
It consists of a rectangle of cloth of varying length, between below-knee and ankle-length, wrapped around the hips and traditionally fastened by tying at the waist or has an elastic waist. Modern men's sulus may be fastened withbuckles.[3] This version of the sulu is believed to have been designed for formal wear by Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna.
The casual or everyday unisex sulus are known assulu-vaka-toga (meaning Tongan sulu). Together with women's church or formal ceremony dress, simple sulus with an elastic waist that extend to the ankles are known assulu-i-ra. The more elegant full-length ones for dressy occasions assulu jaba.[4] Men's sulus are known assulu vakataga (sulu with pockets).
Tailored sulus with pockets are commonly worn as part of Fijian men's business and formal wear,[4][5][6] with shirt andsandals and optionally western-style jacket and tie. In certain situations, such as entering a church, wearing a sulu is seen as respectful.[7] Tailored sulus also feature in police andmilitary uniforms.[8] Official uniform sulus come to below the knees and feature a distinctivezigzag hem.
In Fiji the sulu is seen as an expression ofethnic Fijian identity. While wearing a sulu is often mandatory for Fijians in certain settings,[9][10] previously, members ofother ethnicities were sometimes discouraged from wearing it.[11] Nowadays, it is pleasant to see all ethnic groups wearing the sulu.
12. The Sulu is not a traditional garmenthttps://thestylander.com/the-sulu/
