Identification and description of feathers in Te Papa’s Māori cloaks: Tuhinga 22

Tuhinga 22: 125-147

ARTICLE ABSTRACT: For the first time, scientific research was undertaken to identify the feathers to species level contained in 110 cloaks (kākahu) held in the Māori collections of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa). Methods of feather identification involved a visual comparison of cloak feathers with museum bird specimens and analysis of the microscopic structure of the down of feathers to verify bird order. The feathers of more than 30 species of bird were identified in the cloaks, and consisted of a wide range of native and introduced bird species. This study provides insight into understanding the knowledge and production surrounding the use of materials in the cloaks; it also documents the species of bird and the use of feathers included in the cloaks in Te Papa’s collections from a need to have detailed and accurate museum records.

KEYWORDS: Māori feather cloaks, kākahu, cloak weaving, birds, feathers, harakeke, microscopic feather identification, barbule, nodes, New Zealand