The Southern herald., 1888-09-15
WORTH A MILLION.


Tho Ked-end.ke ktn4HA NA4Hn p -
Kamehameha Dynasty.
II don't care; wouldn't wear i :
"But SEQ what It cost, You don't
mean to say you wouldn't wear cloak
that cost a million doIIarsFn said the
stout man in a satifical tone that inda-
Gated that the woman be addressed Was
his wife.
The pair had stopped before the royal
feather cloak from the Sandwich Islands
that is spread out fan-shaped n case
In the National Museum This cloak y
computed to have cost In labor 81 0O0.-
900. The native name for II is MANS
In the days when o Hawaiian beau or
belle wanted little clothing, but wanted
that gorgeously colored, this cloak o.
mantle would have been considered oE
more value, aesthetically and intrin-
sicaIly, than shipload Of Worth co..
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 four-in-
hand ties, It's value lies chiefly "A the
traditions that surround II The maHl~
tie. which Is semi-circuIar, Is feet
long or deep, and It il II 1-2 feet vide
at the bottom and 2S inches at the top
where It goes around the neck. Inc
entire outer surface Is made ol 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 hg-
ures, crescent-shaped, Of either red Or
yellow feathers. The upper and Let
eral borders are corded and decorated
With alternate tufts cs red, black ana
yellow feathers.
A legend on 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 IA
1919 that chief rebelled against the
reigning king and attempted to re-estaD-
lish the ancient religions. A sanguin-
ary 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 il was present.
ed to Captain j. H. Aulick, y. >. Nj
in 1841. The cloak Is nowthe property
Of Captain Aulick's grandson, Rich
mond Ogston Aulick, who deposited I
In the National Museum. The grea1
value Of the cloak is due to the lonf
time required to secure the feathers tina
! compose 1t and to manufacture th'
} cloak.
The foundation is anet-work Of olona
, or native hemp, and to it are attache'
! by fine thread Of the same material "a
feathers Of birds found only in tn
/ Hawaiian Islands, and very rare there
i Recent writer's have declared thai tn
! bird Is now extinct The feathers ar'
woven in 30 as to lap each other an
lie fiat, forming smooth, plush-iik
surface. The inner surface y withou
lining and shows the Clona net-wor
and the quill-ends Of the feathers III
1 cord Of the upper margin Is prolonge
SO as to serve as fastening % u
i throat. The yellow feathers are q
:, tanned from the 90 or Uho, and as sta
ed, are Of great value, as the bird
rare, very shy and difficult to captur'
' and it has but very small tuft Of thes
feathers upon each shoulder. ~
black feathers are from the head an
back Of the same bird-its generI
plurnage being glossy black. The Z
:. is caught alive by means Of bird lin
Il the yellow feathers are then piucK'
and the bird released. The red featne
are from the body and neck Of the ~
=. uanis Coccinea, the most abundant Dil
Of the Sandwich Islands.
The Hawaiian Spectator, anewspap
II, published in 1889, refers to this, Or
=. similar mantle, as follows: "ka'
a. keauii has the mans, or feather wa
n. cloak of his father, Te-MeharMeha.
was not completed until his reign, ha
nd ing occupied eight preceding ones IN
ha fabrication. A piece Of rankes
nd valued at one dollar and half y
formerly the price Of five Of the yelli
feathers. BY this estimate the value
/ the cloak would equal that Of the pur
or diamonds In several Of the Europe
u, regalia, and, including the price Of
va feathers, not less than a million dolla
worth of labor was expended upon =
the present rate Of computing wage
A bunch OF the yellow feathers cal
hulu was received by the king from
NV subjects in payment Of a poll tax, :
- it required many years to collect
'ns material and manufacture one Of IN
;, mantles. Until recent years th
ans mantles were the royal robes Of St
), and considered the principal treasu
oeS OF the crown, but European CLOTH
! ~ has entirely superseded them and =
A'l. - are not now manufactured. a ben
" ful head-dress for women, called
was made of these feathers.
Another authority states that
yellow feathers only are obtained =
ern- each 90, and these are found under
wings. When themuch-prized featl
Mr.. are plucked the bird is set at libe
ONE The price Of the feathers, according
this authority, was one doliarand .
nail for three, and the time oceuple.
making the cloak was estimated
Mr. fifty to one hundred years, Wds''''
v Star.
"A Broadway IN. y haberda
!. was boasts that man can not be proE
q re- s...sa fa,, a a,,1nfuaf s0ioafn q