Hawaiʻi: A Kingdom Crossing Oceans at the British Museum

 

Cloak made of weaved honeyeaters and honeycreepers bird feathers | 'ahu'ula'
Before 1778?
Hawaii
Honeycreeper feathers, honeyeater feathers, olona fiber
Associated with Captain James Cook
Previously owned by Captain Charles Clerke?
Oc,HAW.133
© The Trustees of the British Museum

 
 

Hawaiʻi

a kingdom crossing oceans

January 15, 2026 – May 25, 2026

 

Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans is a dazzling celebration of the artistry and history of Hawaiʻi. 

The exhibition brings together remarkable objects – from feathered cloaks worn by chiefs and finely carved deities, to powerful shark-toothed weapons and bold contemporary works by Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) artists.

In 1824, the young King Liholiho and Queen Kamāmalu travelled across vast oceans on a journey that would mark a turning point in the history of their kingdom, Hawaiʻi. The exhibition commemorates over 200 years since this ill-fated royal visit and sheds light on Hawaiʻi's history and culture through an exploration of the complex and enduring relationship between the Hawaiian and British nations.

Building on years of collaboration with Native Hawaiian artists, practitioners and scholars, the show centres on indigenous knowledge, shining new light on exceptional objects and extraordinary stories. Shaped together with Hawaiian knowledge-bearers, the exhibition showcases seldom-seen international loans alongside the remarkable collections at the British Museum – one of the largest in the world outside of Hawaiʻi.

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Exhibition Preview

 

Cloak
Before 1869
Hawaii
Red and yellow feathers, vegetable fiber netting
Field collected by Sir H. Chamberlayne
Associated with Kamehameha II (Liholiho), King of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Bequeathed by Henry Christy in 1865
Previously owned by the King of Sandwich Islands
Oc.1174
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Human figure
Late 18th century - early 19th century
Hawaii
Wood, pearlshell, human teeth, human hair
Associated with HMS Blonde
Bequeathed by Henry Christy in 1865
Previously owned by the Royal United Services Institute
Oc.1657
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Carved shark fish-hook | Makau
Before 1780
Hawaii
Bone, olona fiber
Acquired by Captain James Cook in 1780-1800
Oc,HAW.62
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Wooden bowl with two carved figures
Before 1778
Hawaii
Field collected by Captain Charles Clerke
Associated with Captain James Cook
Donated by Sir Joseph Banks in 1780-1800
Kou wood, pearlshell, boar tusk
Oc,HAW.46
© The Trustees of the British Museum

God image, probably Ku the God of War
Late 18th century
Hawaii
Olona fiber, ʻiʻiwi feathers, pearlshell, seed, dog tooth, wood
Acquisition details unknown
Oc,HAW.80
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Carved spear rest
18th century?
Hawaii
Wood
Field collected by George Goodman Hewett
Donated by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks in 1891
Oc,VAN.313
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Poi bowl
Before 1780
Hawaii
Kou wood, mother of pearl, ivory, seed, fur
Acquired by Captain James Cook in 1780-1800
Oc,HAW.48
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Boar tusk bracelet
18th century - 19th century
Hawaii
Boar tooth, olona fiber
Acquired Captain James Cook (?) in 1780-1800
Oc,HAW.157
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Turtle pendant carved from sperm-whale tooth
Hawaii
Whale ivory, turtle shell
Bequeathed by Henry Christy in 1865
Oc.2338
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Barkcloth
1790-1810
Hawaii
Hibiscus bark, plant extract
Acquisition details unknown
Oc,HAW.25
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Figure
Late 18th century - early 19th century
Hawaii
Wood, human hair, mother of peal, bark fiber, seed
Associated with HMS Blonde
Field collected by J. H. Knowles
Donated by Irene Marguerite Beasley in 1944
Previously owned by Harry Geoffrey Beasley
Oc1944,02.716
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Standing figure (akua ka'ai)
Before 1780
Hawaii
Wood
Acquired by Captain James Cook in 1780-1800
Oc,HAW.74
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Temple image figure, probably represents Ku-ka’ili- moku the god of war.
Before 1822
Hawaii
Wood
Collected by the London Missionary Society in 1822
Purchased from the London Missionary Society in 1911
Oc,LMS.223
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Temple image figure (ki'i) depicting Kū.
1790-1819
Hawaii
Made for Kamehameha I
Donated by W Howard in 1839
Oc1839,0426.8
© The Trustees of the British Museum

War god’s head figure
Hawaii
Stem, olona fiber, feather, mother of pearl, seed, dog tooth
Acquisition details unknown
Oc,HAW.79
© The Trustees of the British Museum

God image
Before 1780
Hawaii
Olona fiber, ʻiʻiwi feathers, mamo feathers, ʻōʻō feathers, human hair, pearlshell, seed, dog tooth, pandanus root
Acquired by Captain James Cook in 1780-1800
Oc,HAW.78
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Helmet | Mahiole Hulu Manu
Before 1780
Hawaii
'Ie'ie vine, olonā fiber, ʻiʻiwi feathers, honeyeater feather, ʻōʻō feathers, mamo feather
Acquired from Captain James Cook? or Sir Joseph Banks? in 1780-1800
Oc,HAW.108
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Barkcloth
18th century
Hawaii
Bark, pigments
Oc,HAW.201
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Feather ornament | Lei
Late 18th century
Field collected by George Goodman Hewett
Feathers
Associated with HMS Discovery
Donated by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks in 1891
Oc,VAN.246.a-c
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Weapon
19th century?
Hawaii
Wood, shark tooth, fiber
Oc,HAW.185
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Cloak made of weaved honeyeaters and honeycreepers bird feathers | 'ahu'ula'
Before 1778?
Hawaii
Honeycreeper feathers, honeyeater feathers, olona fiber
Associated with Captain James Cook
Previously owned by Captain Charles Clerke?
Oc,HAW.133
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Female figurative spear rest
Hawaii
Wood
Donated by Lords of the Admiralty in 1855
Previously owned by Haslar Hospital Museum
Oc.4681
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Cape | Kipuka
Before 1824
Hawaii
Yellow ʻōʻō feathers, red feathers (possibly ʻiʻiwi), olonā fiber net
Associated with Kamehameha II (Liholiho), King of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Donated by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks in 1892
Oc,+.5769
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Figurative double bowl
Late 18th century - early 19th century
Hawaii
Kou wood, pearlshell, feather, bark, fur
Oc,HAW.47
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Kiʻi figure
Before 1826?
Hawaii
Wood
Field collected by George Anson Byron (7th Baron Byron)
Associated with HMS Blonde
Bequeathed by Henry Christy in 1865
Previously owned by Royal United Services Institute?
Oc.1656
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Wood drum | pahu
Mid 18th century - late 18th century
Hawaii
Wood, shark skin, fiber, coir
Purchased from Christie’s in 1977
Previously owned by Kenneth Athol Webster, Richard Cuming, and James Hooper
Oc1977,08.1
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Cape | Kipuka
Before 1892
Hawaii
Yellow and black ʻōʻō feathers, red ʻiʻiwi feathers, olonā fiber net
Donated by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks in 1892
Previously owned by Mrs. Harriet Sowley Vinter
Oc,+.5897
© The Trustees of the British Museum

 
News 16Editorial TeamArt of the Ancestors, Steven G. Alpert, Asian Art, Island Southeast Asian Art, Oceanic Art, Asiatica, Ethnographica, Ethnographic Art, Art Collection, Fine Art, Primitive Art, Indonesian Art, Tribal Art, Eyes of the Ancestors, Dr. Reimar Schefold