Question: Regarding the ahu ula (feathered cloak) and mahiole (feathered helmet) of Hawaiian Chief Kalaniopuu, which will be on display at Bishop Museum: Could you please explain more about the fate of the birds whose feathers were used to craft these regal garments?
Answer: The ahu ula and mahiole of Kalaniopuu do not incorporate the pelts of birds, so researchers are confident that the thousands upon thousands of feathers used were gathered “in the manner of catch and release,” said Marques Marzan, a cultural resource specialist for Bishop Museum.
Marzan explains: “Traditionally, with the birds that were used for ahu ula — like the mamo, the oo and the iiwi — a few feathers were removed and then the birds were released, particularly the oo and the mamo birds, because they were primarily black birds with a few tufts of yellow feathers under their wings and tails. So those few bundles were removed … and those birds were released. In regards to the iiwi, which was a red bird, that was also done (a few feathers were removed), but we also have evidence that in older capes and older feathered garments, there are pelts of feathers that have been incorporated into ahu ula or other objects, from the early period. Because they were using pelts, they would have had to kill the birds to acquire that. So there were definitely times when birds were killed for their entire pelt, but most of the feathered cloaks and capes that we have are feathered bundles versus pelts of birds. That would be more in alignment with the tradition of catching the bird, removing a few feathers and releasing the bird. The ahu ula and mahiole of Kalaniopuu do not incorporate the pelts of birds, so the gathering of the feathers for those two pieces would have been done in the manner of catch and release.”
“Arts and Crafts of Hawaii,” the seminal work by the late Te Rangi Hiroa, the longtime director of Bishop Museum who also was known as Sir Peter Buck, describes how red birds, such as iiwi and apapane, were more likely to be killed (and eaten) during the feather-collecting process than mainly black birds such as the mamo and oo, which he writes were caught during moulting season, plucked of yellow feathers and set free to grow another crop for the next season.
You can learn much more about Chief Kalaniopuu, Hawaiian feather work and native birds at the Bishop Museum as two new exhibitions open to the public on the same day, March 19. “He Nae Akea: Bound Together” is devoted to the return of Kalaniopuu’s royal garments, and “Lele o na Manu” is about Hawaiian forest birds. See bishop museum.org for details.
Q: How can I get the new phone book? Mine wasn’t delivered.
A: Call 833-2018 and leave your order on the voicemail system. You’ll need to supply your name, address, phone number, the number of phone books you want and the title, which is “The Official Hawaiian Telcom Yellow Pages” (the white pages and yellow pages are included in a single directory this year). You may also order online at HTYellowPages.com. Click on “Directory delivery options” for an online form.
A reminder for those who did receive new phone books this month: It’s best to dispose of the old ones in your regular rubbish (gray carts on automated recycling routes) because they will be processed into electricity at Oahu’s HPOWER waste-to-energy plant. One phone book properly discarded from every household and business on Oahu could power 603 homes for a month, according to the Berry Co., which publishes the directory.
Mahalo
Many thanks to the Honolulu Fire Department, Honolulu Police Department and Emergency Medical Services for assisting my family when my son was ill. On Feb. 3 at about 4 a.m., my son was very sick. He fell unresponsive in my home in Kahaluu and needed medical attention. With the help of the Kahaluu fire crew and Kaneohe police officers and Kaneohe EMS, my son was helped and taken to the Castle Medical Center, where he made a quick recovery with the help of the hospital staff. I would like to send out a big mahalo to this group of first responders for their help in assisting my family in a time of need. — The Ah Chong ohana
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
