ʻAhu ʻula
[6][7] These cloaks are made from a woven netting decorated with bird feathers and are examples of fine featherwork techniques.
The use of ʻahu ʻula cloaks/capes were restricted to aliʻi royals and high chiefs, generally speaking, though they could be conferred to warriors of special distinction.
[11] Some commentators distinguish the full-length ʻahu ʻula as "cloaks", extending from the neck to nearly the feet, and these were allowable only the highest-ranking elite, where as regular chiefs wore "capes" of lesser sizes.
[21] The Hawaiian feather cloaks were decorated using yellow, red, sometimes black and green plumage taken from specific types of native birds[22][23] (cf.
The plant used to make the netting is olonā or Touchardia latifolia, a member of the nettle family[24] (cf.
[26][27] Patches of yellow from certain mostly black birds (now all extinct species of the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily) were extracted, namely, from the ʻōʻō[2] (Moho nobilis or generically the fours species of the genus) and mamo (Drepanis pacifica) using a catch and release philosophy due to their scarcity, to ensure future availability.
[31] It has been suggested the combined use of yellow and red feathers was meant to simulate the royal orange of mamo plumage.
By the 19th century, however, this kapu was suspected of not being strictly observed by all the native bird-catchers, and in fact, recorded as being eaten for food.
[40] Henshaw suspected the rapid decline was due to increased use of shotgun over traditional methods of bird-catching using snares and birdlime[39] (cf.
Both the red species can still be found in Hawaii, but in much reduced numbers, due to various causes, and exploitation of feather is thought by some to be minimal effect on population decline.
When British explorer James Cook visited in Hawai‘i on 26 January 1779 he was received by a high chief Kalaniʻōpuʻu of Hawaii Island.
Kalaniʻōpuʻu also laid several other cloaks at Cook's feet as well as four large pigs and other offerings of food.
[51][52][53] This set of mahiole and cloak given by the Hawaii Island chief to Cook entered the Leverian collection,[54] and continued to be showcased under glass "Case B" in the under Parkinson's ownership at Albion Street,[56] i.e., the rotunda building at the south end of the Blackfriars Bridge.
The Hawaiian who owned it did not readily agree to trade it for various items offered as barter, but when he set eyes on a bottle and basin of the "Queen's ware" series of Wedgwood, he threw down the cape and made off with the porcelainware.
[69][70][h] Much of the material from Cook's voyages including the helmet and cloak ended up in the collection of Sir Ashton Lever.
[74][75] Sarah Stone (later Mrs. Smith) had illustrated some 54 featherwork objects from the Leverian collection, but the whereabouts of only 10 of these items could be confirmed by 1968.
[82] The "red feather cloak"[83] was apparently only a small one, though probably from the Cook voyage, obtained from the Leverian sale of 1806.
Another example is "A Man of the Sandwich Islands, with his Helmet" (engraving by John Keyse Sherwin, after Webber's painting, 1778–1784) which has been identified as Kanaʻina (Kalaimanokahoʻowaha), who was killed during the altercation.
[106] The Bishop also houses a mahiole and cloak (cape) given to the king of Kauaʻi, Kaumualiʻi, when he became a vassal to Kamehameha I in 1810, thus completing the unification of all the islands into the Hawaiian Kingdom.
[119][l][m] The National Museums of Scotland show a feather cloak that was given in 1824 from King Kamehameha II of Hawaii to Frederick Gerald Byng [de] thanking for his service in London.
[120][n] The Te Papa in New Zealand, besides the aforementioned ʻahu ʻula (FE 327) moved to the Bishop Museum,[122][o] and the other cape (FE 326)[88] houses a third cape, primarily black, bordered with red and yellow, also presented as gift from Lord St Oswald in 1912.
[127] King David Kalākaua as rightful heir inherited the mamo feather cloak of Kamehameha I, and he used it in his coronation ceremonies held nine years into his reign, in 1883.
[129][130][131][121] Robert von Oehlhoffen was a German baron-turned-cook, hired as the king's chef and accompanied him on the tour as valet.
[132][p] During the group's stay in Tokyo, Robert was given permission to wear the feather cloak with specific instructions not to make any semblance of him being a royal, still nevertheless confusing the Japanese contingent to imagine he was a man of high stature.
