Mahiole
Hawaiian feather helmet | |
---|---|
Material | Feathers and plant fibres |
Created | 18th century |
Present location | various museums including the British Museum, London |
Hawaiian feather helmets, known as mahiole in the
Appearance
While the Hawaiians did not wear hats, during times of combat the Ali'i chiefs would wear specially created wicker helmets that have been likened to the classic Greek helmets, and also coincidentally bear a resemblance to the headdress worn by Ladakh Buddhist religious musicians. While the question has been posed if the influence is from the Spanish, the tradition comes from the northern coast of New Ireland.[5] The design for mahiole is a basketry frame cap with a central crest running from the center 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.[2] The image of the Hawaiian god Kū-ka-ili-moku is sometimes presented with a similar shaped head.[6]
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.[7] The plant used to make the baskets is Freycinetia arborea, a plant often used to make basketware.[8] In addition to Freycinetia arborea the makers also used fibre from the Touchardia latifolia plant[9] 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 "((Mamo))"
Specialist birdcatchers in the forests usually took the entire skin of the smaller ((" 'Ī'īwi")) or the ((" 'Apapane")),because their red feathers covered the bird and were quite small. These birds were eaten for sustinence in that harsh environment.[11] Sometimes,in the moulting season, the ((Mamo)) and (( Ō'ō )) birds yielded plucked-out larger yellow feathers and the birds were then released*, but these larger birds were also valued for their smaller black feathers which mostly covered them, especially the (("'Ō'ō ")), which was a favorite food bird as well, so it is likely that few ((" 'Ō'o "))were released, as reported by a prominent author of two generations earlier with far more living sources of old time information.[12]
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 close proximity to form a uniform covering of the surface of the mahiole.[13]
Captain James Cook's mahiole
When Captain James Cook visited Hawaii on 26 January 1778 he was received by a high chief called
Lever went bankrupt and his collection was disposed of by public lottery. The collection was obtained by
Mahiole in museums
Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu
The
British Museum, London
The British Museum has seven of these helmets.
A second helmet differs in overall design to the first in that it has concentric bands of yellow and black against an overall red background. A hat of this design was recorded by John Webber who was Captain Cook's official artist.[9] The British Museum also holds an example without feathers which shows how the framework was constructed.[16]
Museum of Ethnology, Vienna
The
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington
The
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 Objects. The series started in 2010 and was created in a partnership between the BBC and the British Museum.[22]
Tales From Te Papa
Cook's mahiole and cloak are featured in the mini-documentary television series
References
- ^ Spoked Feathered Helmet, British Museum, accessed September 2010
- ^ University of Hawaii Press.
- University of Hawaii Press.
- ^ Adrienne Kaeppler, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington DC Cook’s Pacific Encounters symposium, National Museum of Australia, 28 July 2006
- ^ William Alanson Bryan (1899). A Key to the Birds of the Hawaiian Group. H. I., Bishop museum Press. p. 40.
- ^ "'aumakua hulu manu Kuka'ilimoku (feathered image)". Collections Online. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
- ^ a b Feathered helmet (mahiole), British Museum, accessed 26 August 2010
- Bernice P. Bishop Museum. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
- ^ a b c Feathered helmet (mahiole), British Museum, accessed August 2010
- ^ "Kauaʻi ʻŌʻō" (PDF). Hawaii’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. State of Hawaiʻi. 2005-10-01. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
- ^ Hiroa, Terangi (1957). Arts and Crafts of Hawaii. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press. pp. 217–218.
- ^ Brigham, William (1899–1903). Hawaiian Feather Work (Memoirs of The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum of Polynesian Ethnology and Natural History Volume I). Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press. p. 10. Reprinted by the Kraus Reprint Co., Millwood, New York, 1974.
- ^ Arcayna, Nancy (12 September 2008). "Cloaked in native culture: Kaha'i Topolinski preserves the art of Hawaiian feather work". Honolulu Star Bulletin. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- ^ "Bishop Museum Loans Rare Artifacts to Kauai'i". Bishop Museum, Honolulu. 19 October 2006. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
- ^ a b c Hawaiian feather helmet, Highlights, British Museum, accessed 9 August 2010
- ^ Mahiole, British Museum, accessed 27 November 2010
- ^ "History". Kunsthistorisches Museum. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
- ^ The Ibis, Series 3, Volume 3, Osbert Salvin, 1873, accessed 29 August 2010
- ^ a b "Mahiole". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- ^ "Object: mahiole". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
- ^ "Object: 'ahu 'ula (Feathered cloak)". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- ^ "Hawaiian feather helmet". A History of the World in 100 Objects. BBC. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
External links
- Mahiole Collection of the British Museum
- Mahiole Collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa