“Wherever the lehua and certain other trees flourished and bloomed, there some, if not all of these birds, made paradise. While the moist woodlands of Hilo were perhaps his favorite, the fowler also found happy hunting grounds in Hamakua, Kohala, Kona and Puna, as well as on the other islands of the group.” (Emerson)
“Feathers from certain birds were made into the highly-prized feather work artifacts of the alii – capes, cloaks, helmets, kahili, etc.” (Holmes)
“The plumage-birds, like everything else in Hawaii, were the property of the alii of the land, and as such were protected by tabu; at least that was the case in the reign of Kamehameha I, and for some time before.”
“The choicest of the feathers found their way into the possession of the kings and chiefs, being largely used in payment of the annual tribute, or land tax, that was levied on each ahupuaa.”
“As prerequisites of royalty, they were made up into full length cloaks to be worn only by the kings and highest chiefs. Besides these there were capes, kipuka, to adorn the shoulders of the lesser chiefs and the king’s chosen warriors, called hulumanu, not to mention helmets, mahiole, a most showy head-covering.”
“The supply needed to meet this demand was great, without reckoning the number consumed in the fabrication of lei and the numerous imposing kahili that surrounded Hawaiian royalty on every occasion of state.”
“It is, therefore, no surprise when we learn that in the economic system of ancient Hawaii a higher valuation was set upon bird feathers (those of the mamo and o-o) than upon any other species of property, the next rank being occupied by whale-tooth, a jetsam-ivory called palaoa pae, monopolized as a prerequisite of the king.” (Emerson)
“Amongst the articles which they brought to barter this day, we could not help taking notice of a particular sort of cloak and cap, which, even in countries where dress is more particularly attended to, might be reckoned elegant.”
“The first are nearly of the size and shape of the short cloaks worn by the women of England, and by the men in Spain, reaching to the middle of the back, and tied loosely before.”
“The ground of them is a net-work upon which the most beautiful red and yellow feathers are so closely fixed that the surface might be compared to the thickest and richest velvet, which they resemble, both as to the feel and the flossy appearance.”
“The manner of varying the mixture is very different; some having triangular spaces of red and yellow, alternately; others, a kind of crescent; and some that were entirely red, had a broad yellow border, which made them appear, at some distance, exactly like a scarlet cloak edged with gold lace.”
“The brilliant colours of the feathers, in those that happened to be new, added not a little to their fine appearance; and we found that they were in high estimation with their owners; for they would not at first part with one of them for anything that we offered, asking no less a price than a musket.”
“However, some were afterward purchased for very large nails. Such of them as were of the best sort were scarce; and it should seem that they are only used on the occasion of some particular ceremony or diversion; for the people who had them always made some gesticulations which we had seen used before by those who sung. …” (Cook’s Journal, Jan 1778)
“The scarlet birds, already described, which were brought for sale, were never met with alive; but we saw a single small one, about the size of a canary-bird, of a deep crimson colour; a large owl; two large brown hawks, or kites; and a wild duck.” (Cook’s Journal, Feb 1778)
“The feathers of Hawaiian plumage-birds may be divided, as to color, into several classes:
1. Pure yellow. The yellow feathers were taken either from the o-o or from the coat of the still rarer mamo.
Those of the mamo were of a deeper tint, but of shorter staple than the former, and as the bird was shy and difficult of capture, they were greatly coveted for the richest articles for feather-work, cloaks, capes and necklaces. It is a question still in dispute whether this rare bird is not extinct.
The o-o, though a proud and solitary bird, was more prolific than the mamo. Its coat was of deep black, set off with small tufts of clear yellow under each wing and about the tail and in some varieties about the neck and thighs.
Those from the axial were called e-e and were the choicest, and being of a longer staple were in the greatest demand for the lei. No swan’s down can surpass, in delicacy of texture, the axilliary tufts of the o-o.
2. Red. Scarlet, or red feathers were obtain from the body of the i-iwi and the akakani (akakane or apapane).
It may be disputed whether one or the other of these is not to be designated as common. The color-tone of the feathers varies. They were song-birds, and when on the wing, displaying their plumage of black and scarlet, were objects of great brilliancy.
There was, I am told, another red-feathered bird called ulaai-hawane, a beautiful thing in scarlet, wild and shy, a great fighter, a bird very rarely taken by the hunter. Its plumage would have been a welcome addition to the resources of Hawaiian feather-workers had it been obtainable.
3. Green. Feathers of an olive green were obtained from the o-u, and from the amakihi those of a greenish-yellow.
Though of less value than some others, the green feathers were an important resource in adding variety to Hawaiian feather-work. This color, however, was not used in the richest and most costly cloaks and capes.
4. Black. Feathers of black were obtained from the o-o, mamo, i-iwi and akakani, not to mention numerous other sources, including the domestic fowl, which also contributed feathers of white.
While this list is not intended to be exhaustive, mention should be made of the koaʻe (bosen, or tropic bird), which furnished two long feathers from its tail used in making kahilis.
Although this bird took its prey from the ocean, its nest was in the face of the steep mountain palis and in the cliff of the small, rocky island, Kaula, Nihoa, Lehua, and Necker. There are two varieties of this feather.” (Emerson)
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