Maori feather cloak
This Maori cape or 'kahu kakapo' belongs to the class of feather
cloaks or 'kahu huruhuru'. It is named after the kakapo, a
flightless green ground parrot, now a very rare bird of the South
Island of New Zealand. This is the only such cloak known to survive
anywhere in the world. A cloak in New Zealand includes some kakapo
feathers along with those of other birds, mostly kiwi. See an
example in the collections of Te Papa (Museum of New Zealand).
Such cloaks were highly prized and were generally worn by high
ranking Maori, specifically chiefs. Oral history and archaeology
suggest that kakapo were hunted mainly for their meat and then the
feathers were subsequently fashioned into prestigious garments such
as cloaks. The South Island prevalence of the kakapo is shown by
the Maori North island proverb, often observed of those complaining
of the cold weather: ?Shall you be covered in a parrot-feathered
cloak from the south?.
This cape was amongst a number of objects collected by David
Ramsay, a Perth born doctor who sailed to Australia as a ship's
surgeon and settled there. He donated his collection to the Perth
Literary and Antiquarian Society in 1842.
