NOTES ON THE TECHNIQUE. SS 



KAMAKAHELEI CAPE. 



This circular cape is of oo yellow with two black and two red triangles in front. 

 It measures in width 30 inches; in depth behind 16, and in front 8.5 and 9 inches. 

 Kamakahelei was the mother of Kaumualii by Kaeokulani; another of her husbands 

 was Kaneoneo whose shin-bone later formed the kunni or handle of the interesting 

 kahili (No. 24) in the Bishop Museum. When Cook arrived at Waimea in 1778, and 

 the people were loudly discussing the wonderful event Kamakahelei said: "Let us not 

 fight against our god; let us please Him that He may be favorable to us; then Kamaka- 

 helei gave her daughter as a woman to Lono [Cook]; Lelemahoalani was her name; 

 she was older sister of Kaumualii, and Lono slept with that woman, and the Kauai 

 women prostituted themselves to the foreigners for iron." ' 



Whether the cape ever belonged to the famous chiefess or was simply named as 

 a memorial of a famous ancestor in the family of the Queen Kapiolani is not recorded. 



ADDITIONAL NOTES ON THE TECHNIOUE. 



Attention has already been called to the interesting method of alternating 

 bundles of teeth of a semi-sacred fish with human teeth in the pendant of the cordon of 

 Kaumualii. Mr. John F. G. Stokes has gone farther in examining the bundles of tiny 

 feathers used in some capes and his studies have resulted in finding various methods of 

 attaching these bundles or the individual feathers to the olona nac. When the first 

 Memoir on Hawaiian feather work was published there was not enough material in 

 hand to examine in extenso the methods of attaching the feathers to the olona net 

 which is the basis of all genuine ahuula. The way the bird-catching natives taught 

 the author was neat and simple and not unnaturally was supposed sufficient for all 

 purposes. When, however, the uncertainty of the history of these precious decora- 

 tions rendered farther study of the actual specimens necessary to determine, even ap- 

 proximately, their period, it was found that foreign thread was used to attach the 

 feathers (at least where repairs had been made) in capes known to be ancient. More 

 than that there were various methods of attaching the feathers in the ahuula both old 

 and new, and the result of the careful study by Mr. Stokes, which I regret is not suffi- 

 ciently complete to enrich the present publication and must appear later, has brought 

 to light many interesting facts hitherto unnoticed. 



There are one or two points to which I may call the reader's attention without 

 trenching oh the work of my colleague, whose careful and minute studies are well worthy 

 a separate publication. One is the curious fashion which I have already mentioned, 

 but can now illustrate more clearly, of intentionally misfitting the colors of the divided 



'D. Malo, Moolelo Hawaii. Quoted in Fornander, Polynesian Race, II, 169. 



