Western appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1885-18??, 1888-09-29
WORTH A MILLION.
The Red-and-Yellow Royal Cloak of Il
Kamehameha Dynasty.

. y so ,
81 don't care; wouldn't wear it,
''But see what it cost. You don't
mean to say you wouldn't wear a cloak
that cost a million dollars?'' said the
stout man in satirical tone that indi.
Gated that the woman he addressed wal
his wife.
The pair had stopped before the royal
feather cloak from the Sandwich Islands
that is spread out fan-shaped in a case
in the National Museum. This cloak is
computed to have cost in labor $1,000.
900. The native name for it is mans.
In the days when Hawaiian beau OF
belle wanted little clothing, but wanted
that gorgeously colored, this cloak or
mantle would have been considered OF
more value, asthetically and intrin-
sically, than shipload of Worth COS.
tunes, and it's happy possessor might
truly be said to be in high feather.
Since the natives have adopted wide
trousers, lawn-tennis shirts and fourth.
hand ties, its value lies chiefly in the
traditions that surround it. The nan.
tie, which is semi-circular, is feet
long or deep, and it is II 1-2 feet wide
at the bottom and % inches at the TOP
where it goes around the neck. The
entire outer surface is made of feathers
of fine texture, giving the whole the
appearance of plush. The prevailing
colors are red and yellow Or orange.
The body is decorated with large fig.
ures, crescent-shaped, of either red OF
yellow feathers. The upper and lat
eral borders are corded and decorated
with alternate tufts of red, black and
yellow feathers.
A legend on a label states that this
feather cloak formerly belonged
to Kehuarkalani, one of the high.
est chiefs of the Sandwich Islands.
After the abolition of idolatry in
1919 that chief rebelled against the
reigning king and attempted to re-estab.
lish the ancient religions. A sanguin.
airy battle was fought and Kehuarkalani
was slain, and this cloak, which
he then had on, fell into the
hands of the conquerors and
thus became the property of King
Kemehameha, by whom it was present.
ed to Captain j. H. Aulick, U. S. N.
in 1841. The cloak is now the property
of Captain Aulick's grandson, Rich.
mond Ogston Aulick, who deposited il
in the National Museum. The great
value of the cloak is due to the long
time required to secure the feathers that
compose it and to manufacture the
cloak.
The foundation is anet-work of olona.
Or native hemp, and to it are attached
by fine thread of the same material the
feathers of birds found only in the
Hawaiian Islands, and very rare there.
Recent writer's have declared that the
bird is now extinct. The feathers are
woven in so as to lap each other anG
lie flat, forming a smooth, plush-like
surface. The inner surface is without
lining and shows the olona network
and the quill-ends of the feathers. The
cord of the upper margin is prolonged
so as to serve as fastening at the
throat. The yellow feathers are OBJ.
tanned from the 90 or Uho, and as stat
ed, are of great value, as the bird il
rare, very shy and difficult to capture.
and it has but a very small tuft of these
feathers upon each shoulder. The
black feathers are from the head anc
back of the same bird-its general
plumage being a glossy black. The Oc
is caught alive by means of bird lime:
the yellow feathers are then plucked
and the bird released. The red feathers
are from the body and neck Of the Ore
pants Coccinea, the most abundant bird
of the Sandwich Islands.
The Hawaiian Spectator, newspaper
published in 1889, refers to this, or
similar mantle, as follows: @*Kaw-
keauli has the mans, or feather war
cloak of his father, Te-Meha-Meha. II
was not completed until his reign, hay.
ing occupied eight preceding ones in its
fabrication. A piece of nankeen,
valued at one dollar and a half, was
formerly the price Of five Of the yellow
feathers. By this estimate the value OF
the cloak would equal that of the purest
diamonds in several of the European
regalia, and, including the price of the
feathers, not less than a million dollars
worth Of labor was expended upon it at
the present rate of computing wages
A bunch of the yellow feathers called
hulu was received by the king from his
subjects in payment of poll tax, and
it required many years to collect the
material and manufacture one of these
mantles. Until recent years these
mantles were the royal robes of state
and considered the principal treasures
OF the crown, but European clothing
has entirely superseded them and they
are not now manufactured. A beauti-
full head-dress for women, called leis,
was made of these feathers.
Another authority states that two
yellow feathers only are obtained from
each 90, and these are found under the
wings. When the much priced feathers
are plucked the bird is set at liberty.
The price of the feathers, according to
this authority was one dollar and hall
making the cloak was estimated from
fifty to one hundred years. - Washinotoa
.Stn1