THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLP]. 77 



equally rare oo were used by the old llawaiians. The feath(M's of other hirds 

 as the iiwi. apapane, ou, koae and iwa were used in eoniljination with the 

 foregoing or in various other ways, in the different articles mentioned, that 

 chiefs and those who could atford tiiem might have ca]:)cs ; but the ycHow feathers 

 were reserved for royalty only. The ground work for the capes and cloaks was a 

 fine netting made of the native oloua ; to this the feathers were 1iriiil\- fastened in 

 such a way as to overlap each other and form a smooth and utiifonii surface. 



The Kahili. 



The kahili, a fly brush or plumed staff of state, Avas the emblem and embellish- 

 ment of royalty and was held in the time of which we write, solely as an adjunct of 

 the alii. A few of these curious feather plumes were of enormous proportions, 

 there being records of some that were borne on poles thirty feet in length. The 

 plume was composed of feathers arranged in bunches, bound on stems, which 

 were attached to the central staff in such a way as to form a loose, fluffy, 

 cylinder-shaped head, sometimes two or more feet in diameter l)y three or four 

 feet in length. The handle Avas occasionally made of alternate rings of ivory 

 and tortoise shell. In some instances the bones of the famous alii slain in 

 battle were placed on the stem as trophies of victory or as savage ornaments. 

 However, the kahili handle was commonly made of a stout spear-like shaft of 

 kauila wood. IMany of the smaller kahilis were definitey used for the 

 purpose of fly flaps and are thought to be the form from which the hn-ucr and 

 more ornamental ones were evolved. 



Their helmets, which were exceedingly picturesque and striking ornaments, 

 were generally worn by the chiefs on state occasions. They were made of 

 wicker work of the aerial ieie roots, covered with the feathers of several species 

 of the birds mentioned, red and yellow being chiefly used, and were extremely 

 variable in form. 



Hideous effigies of the powerful war god Kukailimoku - were made of 

 wicker work and feathers, like tlie helmets, and were usually supjilied with 

 staring pearl-shell e.yes and hoi'ri])le gi'inuing mouths set i'<iun(l with dogs' 

 teeth. We are told tluit not more than a dozen of these cufious feather gods 

 have been preserved in various museum collections. 



Leis. 



The feather lei was the simplest form of feather work wi-ouuht by the 

 llawaiians, and may be regarded as the roya! couutei'pni'l of the more com- 

 mon and perishable garlands made of flowers, nuts and seeds. The flower 

 and feather leis were twined through the hair or sluna- gracefully around 

 the necks of both sexes, and seem to have had but little real sJLiiiiHeauee other 

 than to gratify a taste for ornament. Dui'abie leis were also made of such 

 objects as sea and land shells, lioars' tusks and dried fi'uits. 



An ornament much worm b\- the chiefesses was a neeUlaee that consisted of 



^ Ku = a god: ka;lini'iku = t<)-take-tlif-isl;n:(l. 



