Head ornament (lei paukū)

18th century

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

This delicate lei would have been worn by a high-ranking female member of the aristocracy. It combines the two most ritually significant colors in alternating bands (paukū) of red ’i’iwi feathers and dramatic tufts of yellow ’ō’ō feathers, all bound into a foundation of ’olonā fiber. Such small, intricate feather lei were designed to rest on the head, which was the most sacred (tapu) part of the body and the seat of a chiefly individual’s power.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Head ornament (lei paukū)
Date: 18th century
Geography: United States, Hawai'ian Islands
Medium: Red feathers (’i’iwi), yellow feathers (’ō’ō), fiber (’olonā)
Dimensions: H. 16 × W. 2 in. (40.6 × 5.1 cm)
Classification: Feathers-Ornaments
Credit Line: Private collection, Mark Blackburn, Honolulu, Hawai'i
Rights and Reproduction: Mark and Carolyn Blackburn Collection, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing