Kahu Huruhuru Feather Cloak

Kahu Huruhuru prestigious feather cloak. Introduced in the second half of the 19th century, the kahu huruhuru celebrated the prestigious nature of the Polynesian cloak with the use of high-status bird species such as the kereru, kakariki, kaka and tui. Notably, kahu huruhuru are worked in an upside-down manner with the geometric workings starting from the bottom; this suggests they are a development from the orthodox korowai cloak with even earlier roots reaching back into the pre-contact rain cloaks (hieke). The thrum commencement at the bottom edge establishes the whenu (warps) at seven per centimetre. The aho (wefts) are woven in whatu aho rua (double-pair twining) with seven to eight millimetres between rows. The feathers are attached singly to every aho in a complex geometric configuration reminiscent of earlier Hawaiian cloaks. The materials used were: flax fibre and kereru, kakariki, kaka and tui feathers. Height 95 cm. Width 115 cm. Private Collection, New Zealand