Context (CMS Context)
Catalogue card notes in blue ink, ?handwritten by curator Louis Clarke in 1923,'Collected by Capt. Swayne [sic] one of the officers with Vancouver/ Received in exchange for local archaeological specimens from Wisbech Museum.' [Added later in black ink] '1792- 1795'.
(Bio) Collected by Midshipman later Lieutenant, Spelman Swaine, 1792- 1795, HMS Discovery.
Literature: See 'Art and Artefacts of the 18th Century' by Force and Force (1968), p.17, 'A number of Polynesian peoples had elaborate headdresses made of feathers. Feather helmets, however, were found only in Hawaii. They were royal symbols more than protective head coverings. The wickerlike framework woven from the aerial roots of a vine was covered with a net made of fibre from a shrub to which the feathers were affixed. Helmets (mahiole) were worn over a distinctive hair style.....Helmet styles were quite variable. As with cloak styles, there is some indication that different localities developed unique styles. The shape of the helmet and the materials of which it was made indicate the rank of the wearer. Helmets worn by persons of lesser rank were made of human hair or fibre, but were without feather ornamentation'. (J.Tanner, November 1998).
cf. Helmet in "James Cook: Gifts and Treasures from the South Seas" (1998), edited by Brigitta Hauser-Schäublin and Gundolf Krüger, p. 326, fig. 253. (J. Tanner; February 1999).
For A also see: 'From Pacific Shores: Eighteenth-century Ethnographic Collections at Cambridge - The Voyages of Cook, Vancouver and the First Fleet' (J. Tanner, 1999:48).
Vancouver Collection:
George Vancouver (1758-1798) was born in King' s Lynn, Norfolk. His father, John Jasper Vancouver was assistant collector of customs at King's Lynn, which was at that time a busy seaport. It is believed that through his connections he was able to bring George to the attention of Captain James Cook, who was then preparing to sail on the second of his world voyages. Thus George entered the Royal Navy in 1771 upon receiving an appointment from Cook and thereby gained a rigorous training in seamanship. In 1791 Vancouver was sent on a mission to receive the surrender of the Spanish post at Nootka Sound in present day British Columbia, to survey the coast of the American Northwest, and to search for a water connection to the eastern part of the continent. He wrote a lengthy account of his voyage entitled, ' A Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific ocean, and Round the World' (1798). It was on this latter voyage that Spelman Swaine accompanied Vancouver and acquired the objects held at UCMAA.
Spelman Swaine was born on 1st January 1769 at Lynn Regis in Norfolk and died on 13th January 1848 at Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. His forebears had risen from the ranks of yeoman farmers to gain land in the village of Leverington and build Leverington Hall about 1640, which was held by the family until the end of the 18th century. Swaine himself was brought up at Swanns, another mansion in Leverington, but later moved to Wisbech. He began his naval career in April 1782 and by the October he saw action as midshipman on the ' Recovery' in Lord Howe' s relief of Gibraltar. Thereafter, he lead an eventful and distinguished naval career, finally gaining the rank of Rear Admiral in 1846. In particular, the Swaine collection at UCMAA originates from his period with Captain George Vancouver' s expedition round the world between 1791 and 1795 on the HMS Discovery, as midshipman and later lieutenant. Swaine and his family gave a small but important collection from this voyage to Wisbech Museum, which were later acquired by UCMAA. (J.Tanner, 1999).
Event Date 1/6/1996
Author: maa

Description (CMS Description)
Catalogue card notes in blue ink, ?handwritten by curator Louis Clarke in 1923, 'A: Feather helmet. The feathers have almost disappeared, leaving the network and basketwork exposed to view.'
Event Date 1/6/1996
Author: maa