Patrick Horimoto, mahiole helmet, 1996. Woven ‘ie‘ie vine and pheasant feathers.
For years, artisan and researcher Patrick Horimoto has been employing materials and techniques used by ancient Hawaiians to create helmets such as this one. In ancient Hawai‘i, warriors wore protective head coverings that often were adorned with elaborate crests or a row of mushroom-shaped woven ornaments. High-ranking chiefs and kings wore feathered helmets that matched their feather capes or cloaks. The helmets were woven from the split aerial rootlets of the ‘ie‘ie vine, which grows symbiotically with ‘ōhi‘a trees in the upland forests. Feathers, when used, were tied to a fine mesh netting made of olonā fiber.
NOBLE WORKS
From a traditional feather helmet to turn-of-the-century watercolors, Hualālai’s collection of art and artifacts captures the true majesty of Hawai‘i. BY MURTI VINAYAGA , ART CURATOR PHOTOGRAPHY BY RON HAAKE
