Feather cape ('ahu 'ula)

19th century or earlier

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

As a formal design element, the crescent had powerful associations. The Hawai’ian term for the shape, hoaka, applies to a number of concepts: the arc of a rainbow, the raised crest of a helmet, and, significantly, brightness and radiance. Its reference to glittering daylight or a flash of lightning evokes the very sources of divine power. Wearing a boldly designed, crescent-shaped feather cape in the ritually significant colors of red and yellow was a strategic way for a chief to reinforce his embodiment as a divine being.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: Feather cape ('ahu 'ula)
Date: 19th century or earlier
Geography: United States, Hawai'ian Islands
Medium: Red feathers (’i’iwi), yellow and black feathers (’ō’ō), fiber (’olonā)
Dimensions: W. 31 1/8 × L. 20 13/16 in. (79 × 52.8 cm)
Classification: Feathers-Costumes
Credit Line: Private collection
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing