Cape

Museum register entry states “Feather cape. Sandwich Islands. Devon & Exeter Institution. Made of feathers of Drepanis...”
Donation made by the Devon & Exeter Institution in 1875. The cape is made of coconut fibre, knotted in a diamond net, to which feathers are attached: yellow from the o’o bird (Moho nobilis), red from the ’i’wi (Vestiaria coccinea). Worn with a helmet by male nobles on ceremonial occasions. These feathered capes were visual symbols of prestige and power and were worn to cover and protect the most sacred part of the body, the top of the back.

Object Summary

Accession Loan No.
E1824
Category
Ethnography
Collection Class
Religion and magic
Material
coconut fibrefeathers
Common Name
cape
Simple Name
cape
Production County
Hawai’i
Production Country
Hawaiian Islands (United States of America)
Production Year High
1875

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feathered cape (‘ahu’ula)