Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-23

The Red and Yellow Royal Cloak Of the
Kamehameha Dynasty.

/
Kamehameha Dynasty.
81 don't care; wouldn't wear it. F"
"But see what it cost. You don't
mean to say you wouldn't wear cloak
that cost million dollars!'' said the
stout man in a satirical tone That indi-
| Gated that the woman he addressed was
his wife.
The pair had stopped before the royal
feather cloak from the Sandwich Islands
that is spread out fan shaped in case
| In the National museum. This cloak is
computed to have cost In labor 1,000.-
600. The native name for it is MANS
In the days when Hawaiian beau or
belle wanted little clothing, but wanted
that gorgeously colored, this cloak or
mantle would have been considered of
more value, aesthetically and intrinsically,
than ship load of Worth costumes, and
its happy possessor might truly be said to
be in high feather. Since the natives
have adopted wide trousers, lawn ten
mis- shirts and fourth hand ties, its
value lies chiefly in the traditions
that surround it. The mantle, which
Is semi-circular, is four feet long
or deep, and it is II 1-2 feet wide at the
bottom and 90 inches at the top where
it goes around the neck. The entire outer
surface is made of feathers of fine tex
ture, giving the whole the appearance of
plush. The prevailing colors are red and
yellow or orange The body is decorated
with large figures. crescent shaped, of
either red Or yellow feathers. The upper
and lateral borders are corded and dec
GRATED with alternate tufts OF red, black
and yellow feathers.
A legend on label states that this
feather cloak formerly belonged to Ke-
huarkalani. one of the highest chiefs Of
the Sandwich Islands. After the aboli-
ton of idolatry in 1919 that chief re-
beiled against the reigning king and at
tempted to re-establish the ancient reli-
gions. A sanguinary 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 Kameha-
meha, by whom it was presented to Capt
j. Fl. Aulick, q. S. N, in 1871. The
cloak is now the property of Capt. Au-
ick's grandson, Richmond Ogston Au-
lick, who deposited it 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 man
ufacture the cloak.
The foundation is a net 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 Ha-
waiian Islands, and very rare there. Re
cent writers have declared that the bird
is now extinct. The feathers are woven
in so as to lap each other and lie flat,
forming "a smooth, plush like sur
face. The inner surface is without lin
ing and shows the olona net work and
the quill ends of the feathers. The cord
of the upper margin is prolonged SO as to
servo as fastening at the throat. The
yellow feathers are obtained from the %
or Uho, and, as stated, are Of great value,
as the bird is rare, very shy and difficult
to capture, and it has but very small
tuft Of these feathers upon each shoul-
der. The black feathers are from the
head and back of the same bird-its gen.
eral plumage being glossy black. The
90 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 nrepanis
Cocclnea, the most abundant bird of the
Sandwich Islands.
The Hawaiian Spectator, newspaper
published in 1889, refers to this, or
similar mantle, as follows: ssKawkeaui
has the mans. or feather war cloak of
his father, Te-Meba- Meha. 1t was not
completed until his reign, having occu-
pied eight preceding ones in its fabrica-
ton. A piece Of nankeen, valued at
$50, 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 ex-
pended 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 ma
terial and manufacture one of these man.
ties. Until recent years these mantles
were the royal robes Of state and consid-
cred the principal treasures of the crown;
but European clothing has entirely SUI
perseded them and they are not now
manufactured. A beautiful headdress
for women, called leis, was made of
these feathers.
Another authority states that two yell
low 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 $3.50 for three, and the
time occupied in making the cloak was
estimated from fifty to one hundred
years. Washington Star.