In Hawaii feathered helmets were worn together with feathered capes or cloaks to cover the entire body in feathers. This wrapping both protected and signalled the power of the most important chiefs.
Known as mahiole, helmets like this one form part of the regalia of high status Hawaiian chiefs and were worn during ceremonies and for battle where the strong basketry framework of the helmet provided some physical protection.
This particular helmet, with its broad crest and braided strip, probably comes from the island of Kaua'i. The crest may symbolise an extension of the backbone, reaching over and downwards to protect the most sacred part of the body, the head.
Documentation in the Museum does not reveal when this helmet was brought to Britain, but it is similar in style to helmets brought back from Captain Cook's third voyage in 1779. Alternatively, it may have been collected on later European visits to Hawaii in the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries. The Hawaiians ceased making feather garments and helmets in the early nineteenth century.
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