cape
- Museum number
- Oc1982,Q.747
- Description
-
Cape, trapezoidal in shape, made from a netted backing of olona plant fibre, white feathers (probably tropic bird), indigenous domestic fowl feathers, barkcloth, vegetable fibre, mamo and i’iwi feathers and birdskin. The top of the cape has a worn band of red feathers (possibly i’iwi but could also be apapane) which are attached using patches of the bird’s skin. This is topped with a narrow band of yellow mamo bird feathers. At either side of the cape at the top are plaited fibre tie-strings.
- Production date
- 18thC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 1 centimetres
-
Height: 48.50 centimetres
-
Width: 131 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- In 2012 Julian Hume from the Natural History Museum identified the feathers as being from birds endemic to the Hawaiian Islands; the i'iwi (red feathers), the o'o or the mamo bird (yellow feathers and black feathers) - the latter two birds are now extinct.
In an article in 2013 Adrienne Kaeppler confirms that the basketry structure is made from the split aerial rootlets of the ie'ie screwpalm plant, which are intertwined and covered with a netting of high-grade fibre made from the olona plant, which the feathers, teeth, hair and shell are attached to.
See Kaeppler, A. Power, prayer and plumage in HALI, Spring 2013, Issue 175
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition notes
- Acquisition details unknown. Likely to have been collected on Cook's 3rd voyage (1778-1780).
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Oc1982,Q.747
- Additional IDs
-
Miscellaneous number: N.N. 4
