Mahiole
Encyclopedia
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 world. At least sixteen of these helmets were collected during the voyages of Captain Cook. These helmets are made from a woven frame structure decorated with bird feathers and are examples of fine featherwork
techniques. One of these helmets was included in a painting of Cook's death
by Johann Zoffany
.
is sometimes presented with a similar shaped head.
, a plant often used to make basketware. In addition to Freycinetia arborea
the makers also used fibre from the Touchardia latifolia
plant which is a type of nettle. Touchardia latifolia was used to create string or thread to tie the feathers to the basketry.
The colouring was achieved using different types of feathers. The black and yellow came from a bird called the Moho
or Oo in Hawaiian. There were four varieties of this bird. The last type became extinct in 1987 with the probable cause being disease. Black feathers were also sourced from the bird called the Mamo
which is also now extinct. The distinctive red feathers came from Vestiaria coccinea - the Scarlet Hawaiian Honeycreeper
or Iiwi and the species [[ʻApapane | Himatione sanguinea]] also known as the apapane. Both species are still moderately common birds in Hawaii. Although birds were exploited for their feathers the effect on the population is thought to be minimal.. The birds were not killed but were caught by specialist bird catchers, a few feathers harvested and then the birds were released.
Tens of thousands of feathers were required for each mahiole. A small bundle of feathers was gathered and tied before being tied into the framework. Bundles were tied in in close proximity to form a uniform covering of the surface of the mahiole.
. He exhibited them in his museum, initially called the Holophusikon
and later the Leverian Museum. It was while at this museum that Cook's mahiole and cloak were borrowed by Johann Zoffany
in the 1790s and included in his painting of the Death of Cook
.
Lever went bankrupt and his collection was disposed of by public lottery. The collection was obtained by James Parkinson who continued to exhibit it. He eventually sold the collection in 1806 in 8,000 separate sales. (The British Museum failed to bid on these items as Sir Joseph Banks
had advised them that there was nothing of value.). The mahiole and cloak were purchased by the collector William Bullock who exhibited them in his own museum until 1819 when he also sold his collection. The mahiole and cloak were purchased by Charles Winn and they remained in his family until 1912, when Charles Winn’s grandson, the Second Baron St Oswald, gave them to the Dominion of New Zealand. They are now in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
, Kaumualii
, when he became a vassal
to Kamehameha I
in 1810, uniting all the islands into the Kingdom of Hawaii
.
. Banks was a rich polymath who was particularly interested in botany. He sailed with Captain Cook on his first journey of exploration and continued to keep in contact with Cook's further explorations. It is speculated that this helmet may have belonged to Cook's second in command, Charles Clerke
. Clerke's collections were left to Joseph Banks following Clerke's death on Cook's third voyage. At the time of his death Clerke was captain of the vessel following Cook's death.
A second helmet differs in overall design to the first in that it has concentric bands of fellow and black against an overall red background. A hat of this design was recorded by John Webber
who was Captain Cooks official artist.. The British Museum also holds an example without feathers which shows how the framework was constructed.
Mahiole in the collection of the British Museum
has four mahiole in its collection. Two were gifts of Lord St Oswald
in 1912. The other two were purchased in 1948 by the New Zealand Government from William Ockelford Oldman
, a collector and dealer in ethnographic antiquities. The British Museum, The Smithsonian and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa believe that one of the helmets and it's matching cloak were those placed on Cook by the Hawaiian chief Kalani’ōpu’u.The particular helmet and cloak in question are similar to those depicted in Zoffany's painting.
Mahiole in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
. The series started in 2010 and was created in a partnership between the BBC
and the British Museum.
filmed in 2009. The series was created in a partnership between TVNZ and Te Papa
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
, 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 world. At least sixteen of these helmets were collected during the voyages of Captain Cook. These helmets are made from a woven frame structure decorated with bird feathers and are examples of fine featherwork
Featherwork
Featherwork is the working of feathers into a cultural artifact. This was especially elaborate among the peoples of Oceania and the Americas, such as the Incas and Aztecs....
techniques. One of these helmets was included in a painting of Cook's death
The Death of Captain James Cook (Zoffany)
The Death of Captain James Cook, 14 February 1779 is a painting by Johann Zoffany. The painting records the loss of the British explorer Captain James Cook. The painting was completed in 1794 some years after the death of Cook in 1779. Other paintings of the death of Cook were painted earlier...
by Johann Zoffany
Johann Zoffany
Johan Zoffany, Zoffani or Zauffelij was a German neoclassical painter, active mainly in England...
.
Appearance
The design for mahiole is a basketry frame cap with a central crest running from the centre of the forehead to the nape of the neck. However the variation in the design is considerable with the colour and arrangement of the feather patterns differing and the crest varying in height and thickness. A number of museums have numerous examples in different designs and stages of preservation. A related Hawaiian term Oki Mahiole means a haircut where a strip of hair is left on the head. The image of the Hawaiian god Kū-ka-ili-mokuKū
In Hawaiian mythology Kū or Kū-ka-ili-moku is one of the four great gods along with Kanaloa, Kāne, and Lono.He is known as the god of war and the husband of the goddess Hina. Some have taken this to suggest a complementary dualism, as the word kū in the Hawaiian language means "standing up" while...
is sometimes presented with a similar shaped head.
Construction
The helmets are constructed on a basket type construction which gives a light and strong frame. The frame is decorated usually with feathers obtained from local birds although there have been variations which have used human hair instead. The plant used to make the baskets is Freycinetia arboreaFreycinetia arborea
The Ieie is a densely branched, brittle, woody climber in the screwpalm family, Pandanaceae that is endemic to the Pacific Islands. Ieie is found in moist forest on the Hawaiian, Marquesas, Austral, Society, and Cook Islands. It grows into the forest canopy, attaching itself to a host tree using...
, a plant often used to make basketware. In addition to Freycinetia arborea
Freycinetia arborea
The Ieie is a densely branched, brittle, woody climber in the screwpalm family, Pandanaceae that is endemic to the Pacific Islands. Ieie is found in moist forest on the Hawaiian, Marquesas, Austral, Society, and Cook Islands. It grows into the forest canopy, attaching itself to a host tree using...
the makers also used fibre from the Touchardia latifolia
Touchardia latifolia
Touchardia latifolia, commonly known as Olonā in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering shrub in the nettle family, Urticaceae. T. latifolia is endemic to Hawaii and inhabits mesic valleys and wet forests at elevations of . Typical to many Hawaiian plants, the olonā does not have any stinging needles...
plant which is a type of nettle. Touchardia latifolia was used to create string or thread to tie the feathers to the basketry.
The colouring was achieved using different types of feathers. The black and yellow came from a bird called the Moho
Moho (genus)
Moho is a genus of extinct birds in the Hawaiian bird family, Mohoidae, that were endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Members of the genus are known as Ōō in the Hawaiian language. Their plumage was generally striking glossy black; some species had yellowish axillary tufts and other black outer...
or Oo in Hawaiian. There were four varieties of this bird. The last type became extinct in 1987 with the probable cause being disease. Black feathers were also sourced from the bird called the Mamo
Mamo
A mamo or hoohoo is a bird of the genus Drepanis. These nectarivorous finches were endemic to Hawaii but are now extinct.The Hawaiian name may be related to the name of the ōō , a bird with a similar appearance...
which is also now extinct. The distinctive red feathers came from Vestiaria coccinea - the Scarlet Hawaiian Honeycreeper
Iiwi
The Iiwi or Scarlet Hawaiian Honeycreeper is a Hawaiian "hummingbird-niched" species, of the Hawaiian honeycreepers, subfamily, Drepanidinae, and the only member of the genus Vestiaria. It is one of the most plentiful species of this family, many of which are endangered or extinct, the iiwi is a...
or Iiwi and the species [[ʻApapane | Himatione sanguinea]] also known as the apapane. Both species are still moderately common birds in Hawaii. Although birds were exploited for their feathers the effect on the population is thought to be minimal.. The birds were not killed but were caught by specialist bird catchers, a few feathers harvested and then the birds were released.
Tens of thousands of feathers were required for each mahiole. A small bundle of feathers was gathered and tied before being tied into the framework. Bundles were tied in in close proximity to form a uniform covering of the surface of the mahiole.
Captain James Cook's Mahiole
When Captain James Cook visited Hawaii on 26 January 1778 he was received by a high chief called Kalaniʻōpuʻu. At the end of the meeting Kalaniʻōpuʻu placed the feathered helmet and cloak he had been wearing on Cook. Kalaniʻōpuʻu also laid several other cloaks at Cook's feet as well as four large pigs and other offerings of food. Much of the material from Cook's voyages including the helmet and cloak ended up in the collection of Sir Ashton LeverAshton Lever
Sir Ashton Lever was an English collector of natural objects.-Biography:Ashton Lever was born in 1729 to well off titled parents who lived at Alkrington Hall...
. He exhibited them in his museum, initially called the Holophusikon
Holophusikon
The Holophusikon was a museum of natural curiosities exhibited at Leicester House, on Leicester Square in London, England, from 1775 to 1786 by Ashton Lever.-History:...
and later the Leverian Museum. It was while at this museum that Cook's mahiole and cloak were borrowed by Johann Zoffany
Johann Zoffany
Johan Zoffany, Zoffani or Zauffelij was a German neoclassical painter, active mainly in England...
in the 1790s and included in his painting of the Death of Cook
The Death of Captain James Cook (Zoffany)
The Death of Captain James Cook, 14 February 1779 is a painting by Johann Zoffany. The painting records the loss of the British explorer Captain James Cook. The painting was completed in 1794 some years after the death of Cook in 1779. Other paintings of the death of Cook were painted earlier...
.
Lever went bankrupt and his collection was disposed of by public lottery. The collection was obtained by James Parkinson who continued to exhibit it. He eventually sold the collection in 1806 in 8,000 separate sales. (The British Museum failed to bid on these items as Sir Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
had advised them that there was nothing of value.). The mahiole and cloak were purchased by the collector William Bullock who exhibited them in his own museum until 1819 when he also sold his collection. The mahiole and cloak were purchased by Charles Winn and they remained in his family until 1912, when Charles Winn’s grandson, the Second Baron St Oswald, gave them to the Dominion of New Zealand. They are now in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu
The Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu has a 200 year old mahiole and matching cloak. This bright red and yellow mahiole was given to the king of KauaiKauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
, Kaumualii
Kaumualii
Kaumualii was the last independent Alii Aimoku of Kauai and Niihau before becoming a vassal of Kamehameha I of the unified Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810...
, when he became a vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
to Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
in 1810, uniting all the islands into the Kingdom of Hawaii
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
.
British Museum, London
The British Museum has seven of these helmets. The large red one pictured was obtained from the collection of Sir Joseph BanksJoseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
. Banks was a rich polymath who was particularly interested in botany. He sailed with Captain Cook on his first journey of exploration and continued to keep in contact with Cook's further explorations. It is speculated that this helmet may have belonged to Cook's second in command, Charles Clerke
Charles Clerke
Captain Charles Clerke RN was an officer in the Royal Navy who sailed on four voyages of exploration.Clerke started studying at the Royal Naval Academy in Portsmouth when he was 13. During the Seven Years' War he served aboard HMS Dorsetshire and HMS Bellona...
. Clerke's collections were left to Joseph Banks following Clerke's death on Cook's third voyage. At the time of his death Clerke was captain of the vessel following Cook's death.
A second helmet differs in overall design to the first in that it has concentric bands of fellow and black against an overall red background. A hat of this design was recorded by John Webber
John Webber
John Webber was an English artist best known for his images of early Alaska and Hawaii.Webber was born on 6 October 1751 in London, educated in Switzerland and studied painting at Paris....
who was Captain Cooks official artist.. The British Museum also holds an example without feathers which shows how the framework was constructed.
Mahiole in the collection of the British Museum
Museum of Ethnology, Vienna
The Museum of Ethnology in Vienna obtained some of its oldest exhibits from the Leverian Museum museum sale of 1806. Baron Leopold von Fichtel purchased a number of items for his museum in Vienna.Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa TongarewaMuseum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
has four mahiole in its collection. Two were gifts of Lord St Oswald
Rowland Winn, 2nd Baron St Oswald
Rowland Winn, 2nd Baron St Oswald was a Conservative Party politician in England.At the 1885 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for Pontefract in Yorkshire...
in 1912. The other two were purchased in 1948 by the New Zealand Government from William Ockelford Oldman
William Ockelford Oldman
William Ockelford Oldman was a British collector and dealer of ethnographic art and European arms and armour. His business W.O. Oldman, Ethnographical Specimens, London was mostly active between the late 1890s and 1913....
, a collector and dealer in ethnographic antiquities. The British Museum, The Smithsonian and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa believe that one of the helmets and it's matching cloak were those placed on Cook by the Hawaiian chief Kalani’ōpu’u.The particular helmet and cloak in question are similar to those depicted in Zoffany's painting.
Mahiole in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
History of the World in 100 Objects
The feathered helmet from the British Museum was chosen to be one of the items featured in the radio series A History of the World in 100 ObjectsA History of the World in 100 Objects
A History of the World in 100 Objects was a joint project of BBC Radio 4 and the British Museum, comprising a 100-part radio series written and presented by British Museum director Neil MacGregor...
. The series started in 2010 and was created in a partnership between the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and the British Museum.
Tales From Te Papa
Cook's mahiole and cloak are featured in the mini-documentary television series Tales from Te PapaTales from Te Papa
Tales From Te Papa is a television series of mini-documentaries about objects from the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the activities of the Museum staff. The series is a partnership between Television New Zealand and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa...
filmed in 2009. The series was created in a partnership between TVNZ and Te Papa
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...