News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-07-26
A MILLION-DOLLAR CLOAK.
The Red-and-YeIlow Royal Mantle
of the Kamehameha Dynasty.
[Trom the Washington Star.]

"I don't care; [ wouldn't wear it."
"But see what it cost. You don't
mean to say that you wouldn't wear a
cloak that cost q million dollars 2" said
the stout man in q satircal tone that in
dicated 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 q case
in the National Museum. The cloak is
comp ted to have cost in labor 81, 1,00O,-
NH' The native name for it is ''mams. -
In the lays when Il Hawaiian beau or
belle W anted little clothing, but wanted
thut rgeOusly colored, this cloak or
mantle would have been considered of
moro value, aesthetically and intrinsical-
lv. than q shiplOad of Worth costumes,
and its happy possessor might truIy pe
said to be in high feather. Since the
notives have adopted wide trousers,
Iawn.tennis shirts and four-in-hand ties.
its value lies chiefly in the traditions that
surround it. The mantle, which is semi
circular, is feet long or deep, and 1t is
IL 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
figures, crescent-shaped, or either red or
yellow feathers. The upper or lateral
borders are corded and decorated with
alternate tufts of red, black and yellow
feathers.
A legend on O label states that this
feather cloak formerly belonged to Kehu-
arkalani, one of the highest chiefs of the
Sandwich Islands. After the abolition
of idolatry in 1919 that chief rebelled
against the reigning King and attempted
to re-establish the ancient religions. A
sanguinary battle was fought and Kehu-
arkalani was slain, and this cloak, which
he then had on, fell into the hands OF
the conquerors and thus became the
property of King Kamehameha, by
whom it was presented to Capt. j. FL.
Aulick, U. S. n, in 1871. The cloak is
now the property of Capt. Aulick's
grandson, Richmond Ogston Aulick,
who deposited it in the National Mu-
scum. 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 a network 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.
Recent writer's have declared that the
bird is now extinct. The feathers are
woven in SO as to lap each other and lie
fiat, forming a smooth, plush-like sur
face. 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 ut the throat. The
yellow feathers are obtained from the
90 OF 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
shoulder. The black feathers are from
the head and back of the same bird-its
plumage being glossy black. The %
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 Drepanis
Coccinea, the most abundant bird of the
Sandwich Islands.
The Hawaiian Spectator, o newspaper
published in 1889, refers to this, or a
similar mantle, as follows: "Kawlkeauli
has the mains, or feather war cloak of
his father, Te-Mena- Mena. 1t was not
completed until his reign, having occu-
pied eight preceding ones in its fablica-
tion. 4 piece of nankeen, valued at
81, 80, 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 Mt 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 a poll tax, and 1t
required many years to collect the ma
| terial and manufacture one OF these
nantes. Until recent years these man
ties were the royal robes OF state and
considered the principal treasures OF the
Grown: but European clothing has en-
tirely superseded them and they are not
now manufactured. A beautiful head
dress for women, called leis, was made
of these feathers.
Another authority states that two yel-
low feathers only are obtained from
each %. and these are found under the
wings. When the much -prized feathers
are pIucked the bird is set at liberty.
The price of the feathers, according to
tbis authority, was ST. for three, and
the time occupied in making the cloak
vas estimated from fifty to one hundred
/ years.