Iolani Palace has installed a pair of newly-created kahili in honor of King Kalakaua’s birthday today.

The kahili, or black-feathered emblems, will be on permanent display in the King’s Bedroom on the palace’s second floor.

The pair of standards stand 12 feet tall and were meticulously crafted under the guidance of cultural expert and featherwork master Kawika Lum-Nelmida.

“In recent years, we’ve included reproductions or replicas of pieces to provide a glimpse into how our alii lived, worked, and celebrated at Iolani Palace,” said Iolani Palace executive director Kippen de Alba Chu in a news release. “We are incredibly fortunate to be working with talented traditional artisans, like Kawika Lum-Nelmida, who are not only skilled in their craft, but also have knowledge of museum conservation and preservation practices.”

In keeping with tradition, the kahili were fashioned using more than 11,300 undyed rooster feathers. The team spent about 600 hours working on the standards, which were based on a historical photo of King Kalakaua’s bedroom. In that photo, a dark-colored kahili beside his bed can be seen in a mirror’s reflection.

“We wanted to create kahili that fit with the sense of place of Kalakaua’s bedroom, which feels uplifting and stately, so the feathers point upwards towards the sky rather in the usual downward fashion,” said Lum-Nelmida.

As part of royal protocol, the procession on Thursday evening started from the front steps of the Palace and continued up the Grand Staircase and into the King’s Bedroom, where the kahili were placed on each side of his bed. The kahili were named Kapaakea and Keahokalole, after King Kalakaua’s parents.

Lum-Nelmida is also reproducing a set of kahili for Queen Kapiolani’s bedroom, which are expected to be completed early next year.