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Kalaniʻōpuʻu also laid several other cloaks at Cook's feet as well as four large pigs and other offerings of food. At the end of the meeting Kalaniʻōpuʻu placed the feathered mahiole and cloak he had been wearing on Cook. When British explorer James Cook visited in Hawai‘i on 26 January 1778 he was received by a high chief Kalaniʻōpuʻu. The feather cape given to Captain Cook on display at the Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi ʻAhu ʻula given to Captain James Cook, 1778 Bundles were tied in close proximity to form a uniform covering of the surface of the cloak. A small bundle of feathers was gathered and tied into the netting. Hundreds of thousands of feathers were required for each cloak. The birds are said to have not been killed but, rather, caught by specialist bird catchers, a few feathers harvested, and the birds then released. Although birds were exploited for their feathers, the effect on the population is thought to be minimal. Both species can still be found in Hawaii, but in much reduced numbers. The distinctive red feathers came from the ʻIʻiwi and the ʻApapane. Black feathers were also sourced from the two species of mamo, which are also now both extinct. All species had become extinct by 1987, with the probable cause being disease. Black and yellow came from four species of bird called ʻōʻōs. The coloring was achieved using different types of feathers. The plant used to make the netting is Touchardia latifolia, a member of the nettle family. The cloaks were constructed using a woven netting decorated with feathers obtained from local birds. One of these cloaks was included in a painting of Cook's death by Johann Zoffany. These cloaks are made from a woven netting decorated with bird feathers and are examples of fine featherwork techniques. At least six of these cloaks were collected during the voyages of Captain Cook. There are over 160 examples of this traditional clothing in museums around the world. The feathered cloaks and capes provided physical protection, and were believed to provide spiritual protection for their wearers. The ʻAhu ʻula ( feather cloak in the Hawaiian language), and the mahiole (feather helmet) were symbols of the highest rank of the chiefly aliʻi class of ancient Hawaii. The ʻIʻiwi The Death of Captain James Cook
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