Description (Physical description)
Ahu'ula. Short cloak of yellow and red feathers in cirvilinear design. The feathers are attached to a coconut fibre background. Semi-circular in shape.
Event Date
Author: maa

Context (Amendments / updates)
Photographed for Adrienne Kaeppler in 2010 for 'Intolerance', a project consisting of an exhibition and a 3 volume
publication conceived by the contemporary artist Willem de Rooij, realized in collaboration with the State Museums, Berlin.
The project hoped to create a comprehensive index of Hawaiian feather objects.
Event Date 2010
Author: Rachel Hand

Research Visit (Anthropology)
RES.2017.2386 | Dr Natalia Przelomska’s project Deified to extinction? Insights into human impacts on Hawaiian forest birds through the genomic analysis of ‘ahu‘ula (feather capes)’sampled loose feathers from MAA’s Hawaiian feather capes and cloaks (‘ahu’ula). This aims to use genomic analysis of DNA from these feathers to discover firstly how genetic diversity has changed over time in the bird species, and secondly to provenance and identity bird species composition of the capes that have less information ascribed to them. The one-year project will be based at the US National Museum of Natural History and the National Zoo Park (Smithsonian Institute).
Event Date 8/8/2017
Author: rachel hand

Research Visit (Anthropology)
RES.2018.2486 | continued research as part of 'Deified to extinction? Insights into human impacts on Hawaiian forest birds through the genomic analysis of ‘ahu‘ula (feather capes)This seeks to estimate the numbers of feathers in Hawaiian capes by analysing the patterns and counting the number of feathers in a sample set of feathered bundles. This is done by by counting the number of knots in transects, thereby estimating the number of bundles overall, and the frequency of rows with feathered bundles and without. The different colour section of the front are also measured as this connects to the different species used.
Event Date 25/6/2018
Author: rachel hand

Context (Amendments / updates)
Uncatalogued letters in the 1937 correspondence boxes refers to a Hawaiian feather cloak offered by the Rev. Gerard M. Mason (Corpus Christi alumni) to Sir Sydney Cockerell, at the Fitzwilliam Museum, and a subsequent letter from Louis Clarke to Rev. Mason about the donation of a cloak. This may be that cloak, but the accession was delayed due to the war years. However, in 1948 a cloak was also set to Auckland Museum, New Zealand in exchange for Maori archaeological material, bit no trace can be found of that cloak's entry into the Museum.
Event Date 7/6/2019
Author: rachel hand

Conservation (Assessment Only)
CON.2023.5831 | Assessment Only
Event Date 6/12/2023
Author: Stephanie De Roemer

Context (Analysis)
Detached feathers were analysed by Dr Natalia Przelomska as part of the Smithsonian Institution project 'Deified to extinction? Insights into human impacts on Hawaiian forest birds through the genomic analysis of ‘ahu‘ula (feather capes)'.
Event Date 8/8/2023
Author: rachel hand

Exhibition (Li Ka Shing Gallery)
EXH.2024.13 | Fault Lines: Imagining Indigenous Futures for Colonial Collections
Event Date 3/12/2024
Author: Guey-Mei Hsu

Context (Amendments / updates)
Brass hoops used to hang the cloak and wire binding around the olona fibre cords, indicate a previous display history prior to 1990 redisplays. These were removed visiting conservator for the Fault Lines exhibition, Rangi te Kanawa on 1 Aug 2024
Event Date 1/8/2024
Author: Rachel Hand

Research Visit (Anthropology)
RES.2024.3060 | Conservation discussion for mounting and displaying the Ahu'ula, the Hawaiian feather cloak, for the upcoming Fault Lines exhibition.
Event Date 7/8/2024
Author: Guey-Mei Hsu

Conservation (Investigation)
CON.2024.5999 | Investigation
Event Date 8/8/2024
Author: Stephanie De Roemer