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“Said of the adornment of a chief, or of an elderly chief himself who is one of a few survivors of this generation and therefore precious.”
-‘Ōlelo No‘eau
Rarely seen featherwork from the Museum’s founding collections related to the Kamehameha Dynasty and Hawaiian Monarchy in addition to contemporary pieces will be on display in this special exhibit gallery.
Highlighed items include Liloa's Sash; capes of Princess Pauahi, Queen Emma and Kapi‘olani Nui; and Nahi‘ena‘ena's Pa‘ū. Visitors can learn more about the history of some of the featured pieces, the birds used in featherwork, and the intricate process.
Bishop Museum has the largest collection of Hawaiian featherwork and this exhibit will be the largest of its kind, with over 40 pieces of Hawaiian featherwork on display. It will feature some pieces that tell of the impact of featherwork in other places throughout the world, including feather capes made in England after Kamehameha II and Kamāmalu traveled there late in the 1823. There are several stories in which ali‘i generously gave gifts of treasured feather `ahu`ula, a great show of respect considering the amount of work and resources that went into making these pieces. A number of these pieces have made their way back to Hawai‘i, along with some more contemporary made works which will also be on display.
It will feature one of the earliest pieces of featherwork known to exist, Liloa’s sash. A pre-contact item that dates back as early as the 15th century, the sash has an important role in the history of Hawai‘i, being handed down throughout the Kamehameha dynasty. It is the sash that is seen on the famous Kamehameha Statue. Records indicate that the kaie was handed down from Kamehameha the Great, to Kamehameha III, to Queen Kalama, to King Lunalilo. After Lunalilo’s death, it was in the possession Lunalilo’s father, Charles Kanaina. After Kanaina’s death, it was claimed by King Kalākaua. This amazing 14 ft. piece of ‘i‘iwi and ‘ō‘ō feathers (with some mamo) is extremely delicate and will only be on display for the first 6 weeks of the exhibit.
Another, extremely important, one of a kind piece that will be on display is Nahi‘ena‘ena’s Pa‘ū. It is the largest piece of Hawaiian featherwork known to exist, made of over 1 million feathers and in its original form measuring 20 ft. long by 2 ½ ft. wide. The pa‘ū was one of the only pieces made specifically for a female. The daughter of Kamehameha I and Keopuolani, she is asked to wear the pa‘ū when the bodies of Kamehameha II and Kamāmalu were brought back from England. However, she was conflicted with her religious beliefs having converted to Christianity like Keopuolani and Ka‘ahumanu after the death of Kamehameha I and abolishment of the old religion. The piece has a lot of history in a different purpose, as it was cut in half and shown at the funeral of her brother, Kamehameha III and at the funeral of Kalākaua.
The exhibit will also display a number of other cloaks and lei po‘o (head leis) as well as some hats of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop with hat leis and kāhili, or royal feather standards.
It will also feature two very rare feather deity images. Of these images, 19 are known to exist, and it will be the first time that two will be displayed at the same time here at Bishop Museum. The images are thought to represent Kūka‘ilimoku, passed down to Kamehameha, and represented his status and authority during the unification of the Hawaiian Islands.
Cloaks from pre-Cook contact will also be on display showing a different design than the traditional yellow and red capes and cloaks we think of. Made of darker brown feathers, these cloaks are examples of 18th century works.
Accompanying the artifacts will be a multimedia presentation on the featherwork process as well as storytelling presentation on some of the living stories that accompany the pieces.
Contact: Bishop Museum (808) 847-3511
Island: Oahu
Event Address
Bishop Museum
1525 Bernice St.
Honolulu, HI 96817
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