Featherwork
Encyclopedia
Featherwork is the working of feather
s into a cultural artifact
. This was especially elaborate among the peoples of Oceania
and the Americas
, such as the Incas and Aztec
s.
Feathered cloaks and headdresses include the [[ʻahuʻula]] capes and mahiole
helmets were worn by Hawaiian royalty
; many are now on display at the Bishop Museum
, and other museums across the world. The market for feathers drove birds with desirable feathers, such as the ‘ō‘ō and mamo
, to extinction, though the sacred [[ʻIʻiwi|scarlet honeycreeper]] survived despite its popularity.
Although featherwork is primarily used for clothing, headdresses, ceremonial shield
s, and tapestries
, the Pomo people
s of California are famous for the minute featherwork of their grass baskets, many of which are on display at the National Museum of the American Indian
in Washington.
Maori of New Zealand used featherwork to construct cloaks for clothing and to decorate kete (bags) and weapons.
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s into a cultural artifact
Cultural artifact
A cultural artifact is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology, ethnology, and sociology for anything created by humans which gives information about the culture of its creator and users...
. This was especially elaborate among the peoples of Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
and the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, such as the Incas and Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
s.
Feathered cloaks and headdresses include the [[ʻahuʻula]] capes and mahiole
Mahiole
Hawaiian feather helmets, known as mahiole in the Hawaiian language, were worn with [[ʻahuʻula | feather cloaks (ʻahu ʻula)]]. These were symbols of the highest rank reserved for the men of the alii, the chiefly class of Hawaii. There are examples of this traditional headgear in museums around the...
helmets were worn by Hawaiian royalty
Ali'i
Alii is a word in the Polynesian language denoting chiefly status in ancient Hawaii and the Samoa Islands. A similar word with the same concept is found in other Polynesian societies. In the Cook Islands, an ariki is a high chief and the House of Ariki is a parliamentary house...
; many are now on display at the Bishop Museum
Bishop Museum
The Bishop Museum , is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu...
, and other museums across the world. The market for feathers drove birds with desirable feathers, such as the ‘ō‘ō and mamo
Hawai'i Mamo
The Hawai'i Mamo was a species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanididae. It was endemic to Hawaii. It became extinct due to habitat loss and overcollecting.-Description:...
, to extinction, though the sacred [[ʻIʻiwi|scarlet honeycreeper]] survived despite its popularity.
Although featherwork is primarily used for clothing, headdresses, ceremonial shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
s, and tapestries
Tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...
, the Pomo people
Pomo people
The Pomo people are an indigenous peoples of California. The historic Pomo territory in northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point...
s of California are famous for the minute featherwork of their grass baskets, many of which are on display at the National Museum of the American Indian
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum operated under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution that is dedicated to the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of the native Americans of the Western Hemisphere...
in Washington.
Maori of New Zealand used featherwork to construct cloaks for clothing and to decorate kete (bags) and weapons.