Spectacular Hawai'i ceremony welcomes cloak and helmet

Spectacular Hawai'i ceremony welcomes cloak and helmet gifted to Captain Cook in 1779

An elaborate ceremony is underway in Hawai’i today welcome home the feather ‘ahu ‘ula (cloak) and mahiole (helmet) being loaned by Te Papa to Honolulu’s Bishop Museum.

The items were gifted by Hawaiian Chief Kalaniopu’u to Captain Cook in 1779. After passing through the hands of private collectors in England, they were gifted to New Zealand’s national museum collection by Lord St Oswald in 1912. The stunning red and yellow pieces contain an estimated four million feathers.

Today’s ceremony at the Bishop Museum promises unparalleled pageantry and rituals in a spectacular celebration of native Hawaiian culture. Performances will include a shark hula that has not been performed in 200 years – Chief Kalaniopu’u was known as “the shark tamer.”

Representing Te Papa, Chief Executive Rick Ellis and Kaihautū Arapata Hakiwai will again experience the challenge of the Kia’i or Hawaiian warriors, who were welcomed to Te Papa’s marae last Friday when the delegation collected these treasures.

Speaking from Hawai’i, Te Papa Chief Executive Rick Ellis said the occasion celebrates the ties that bind together the peoples of the Pacific.

“To be here for this occasion, and witness the importance of these pieces to the Hawaiian people is truly humbling,” says Te Papa Chief Executive Rick Ellis.

“Te Papa is founded on the principle of mana taonga. We recognise the spiritual connection that taonga – or treasures – have with their source communities. We know that there are stories that can only be told by those people, connections that only they can make. We believe that as a national museum, we will always be richer for our ability to connect these taonga with the communities they are part of.”

ENDS

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