ori was linked to status, and they were considered tapu during the operation, meaning they were spiritually dangerous, and had to be fed by funnels. Maori facial tattooing was called moko, and the faces were individualized. These designs were used as signatures in the nineteenth century. Women’s facial tattooing was simpler. Other parts of the body were also covered in traditional Maori tattooing, with similar swirling forms.
Hawai’i, ‘ahu ‘uha, late18th-early 19th century and Lerouge and Forget after S. Leroy, after Jacques Arago, artist with French captain and navigator de Frecycinet,. An officer of King Liholiho (Kamehameha II) in full dress, 1819 (photo By Hiart – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28960430 and By Jacques Arago – National Library of Australia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17260495)
The native people of Hawai’i are a Polynesian people, who settled the islands between c. 1200. The feather cloak, the ‘ahu ‘ula, was held in high esteem in Hawai’i. The designs on the cloaks were composed of abstract shapes of solid colors. The crescent shape that was the typical design was formed by the woven coconut fiber lining to which the feathers were attached, and was further repeated by the colors of the feathers. Usually red, black, and yellow feathers were used. The red was a symbol of royalty, and the rainbow, which was another royal symbol. The cloaks were conceived of as rainbows, which symbolized the presence of a chief. The name ‘ahu ‘ula means red cloak. The use of these cloaks were restricted to men of the royal class, the ali’i, and one could only be admitted to this class through birth, but never lost the prerogatives of this class. The material value of the ‘ahu ‘ula lay in the vast expenditure of labor required for collection. The amount of labor involved in collection gave value to the feathers, which yellow being the most valuable. One’s position at court gave greater access to feathers, and the cloaks were worn on ceremonial occasions and into battle. They demonstrated political power and offered protection according to one’s value in the social hierarchy. Along with the capes, chiefs would wear wicker and feather helmets into battle, which mimicked the shape and coloring of the capes. Fly whisks, called kahili, were used at the royal court as well, emphasizing the ka mo’i’s claim to the feathers. Hawaiian ornaments may have carried metaphorical social and sacred power, derived from the materials from which they were made as well as the process of making them.
Class was based on birth, whether you were royal, a peasant (maka ‘ainana), or slave (kuawa) with no land or rights. The ka mo’i was the supreme and absolute chief. This was a position held by men, and was based on rank and the ability to rule, which was in turn based on the number of followers you had and the ability to declare what was kapu (taboo). Kapu was the external and internal force for order in the social and religious life of the community.
Hawai’i, Reconstruction of ceremonial structure at Kamakahonu known as ʻAhuʻena Heiau and Hale o Keawe (photo By No machine-readable author provided. Sasquatch assumed (based on copyright claims). – No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=806139 and By Gillfoto – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21217776)
Outdoor temples, called heiau, were religious precincts that held carved images of the gods. Hawaiian deities and their conceptualizations about them express the importance of genealogy, the family, and the elevation of individuals by virtue of their descent from specific ancestors. Small stick gods, called akua ka’ai, were used for personal devotion. Images of the gods were also made in the same feather-working techniques as the helmets and cloaks. These can also be related to the war god. Some images represented other deified ancestors or lesser deities. These are often called ki’i ‘aumakua