In 1779 , Hawaiian chief Kalani’ōpu’u award notable Internet Explorer Captain James Cook with a priceless feathered cloak and helmet . For more than a century , the artifacts have sat in New Zealand ’s national collections . Now , ABC.net.au report thatthe luxuriant dress has been returned to its aboriginal land after 237 years , and is now on display at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu .
Themahiole(feathered helmet ) and’ahu ' ula(feathered cloak ) were intended to receive Cook , the first do it European explorer to make contact with the far - chuck out Pacific archipelago . agree toHonolulumagazine , written account state that Kalani‘ōpu‘u met with Cook , and at the ending of their exchange “ stupefy up & throw away in a elegant mode over the Captns [ sic ] Shoulders the Cloak he himself wore , & put a feathered Cap upon his head , & a very handsomefly flap in his hand . ”
recounting eventually turn between Cook and the Hawaiian the great unwashed , and in 1779 a crew of villagerskilled the master . The cloak and helmet live the mayhem , and returned to England with Cook ’s ship and crew . They were pass from person to soul until they finally shoot down in the hands of their longsighted - term owner , Lord St. Oswald . When Oswald exit in 1912 , he surprise the world by willing his intact collection to Dominion Museum of New Zealand , the predecessor of Te Papa Tongarewa , the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand .
Over the years , the feathered cloak ( without the helmet ) made two abbreviated return trips to Hawaii — once on Mayday in 1960 , and again in 1978 to commemorate the 100thanniversary of Cook ’s reaching in the island . In 2013 , officials from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs , Te Papa , and the Bishop Museum began dialogue of a 10 - class loanword to the Bishop Museum .
The collaboration was recently finalized , and last calendar week the cloak and helmet were reach over to a Hawaiian relegation in an emotional ceremonial . Held at Te Papa , the event featured Hawaiian and New Zealand Maori Indigenous rite and celebrate the fact that the cloak and helmet will be reunited in Hawaii for the first time in centuries .
Last Sunday , the Bishop Museum confine a public jubilation to commemorate the artifacts ’ recurrence . Visitors can now see them on exhibit in the exhibit“He Nae Ākea : Bound Together,”which reflects on Kalaniʻōpuʻu ’s connections to his country , culture , and the great unwashed , MauiNow reports .
“ These priceless treasures have so much to tell us about our shared Pacific account . We are honour to be capable to return them home , to reconnect them with their land and their people , ” Arapata Hakiwai , Māori co - leader of Te Papa , said in a statement . “ Woven into these taonga ( hoarded wealth ) is the level of our Pacific history , with all its sweetheart , challenge and complexness .
Learn more about the ethnical significance of Kalaniʻōpuʻu ’s cloak and helmet in the video above , courtesy of New Zealand goggle box programTe Karere TVNZ .
Header picture : Wikimedia Commons//Public Domain
[ h / tABC.net.au ]
