Royal Hawaiian Featherwork: na hulu ali'i

A discussion on the first major exhibition of Hawaiian featherwork at the de Young Museum on Aug 29, 2015, with protocols and celebrations including Hawaiian speakers, hula performers and musicians is presented. Royal Hawaiian Featherwork contains more than 75 examples of nahulu ali'i (royal feathers), including 'ahu 'ula (long cloaks and short capes), kahili (royal staffs of feathers), lei hulu manu (feathered lei) and mahiole (helmets) made and worn by the Hawaiian ali'i (nobles). The featherwork garments and adornments are supported by specimens of the native birds from which many were made (loaned by the California Academy of Sciences) as well as 18th- and 19th-century paintings and works on paper that give visual context to the exhibition's focus on nahulu ali'i made for Hawaiian royals from the late 18th century to the early 20th.