54 MUSEUM ANTHROPOLOGY VOLUME 25 NUMBER 1

Exhibition Review

'IOLANI PALACE GALLERIES, Honolulu, Hawaii,permanent installation.

MARJORIE KELLY

Fullerton, California

In November of 2000, the first permanent in-stallation of Hawaiian royal regalia and chieflyeffects was opened to the public on the ground

floor of Honolulu's 'Iolani Palace, the only officialroyal residence on U.S. soil. Deciding how tocontextualize these objects could not have been easyin light of the legal and political battles that havetaken place on the site historically and/or have im-pacted (native) Hawaiians in recent years. Justnine months prior to the opening of the galleries, theU.S. Supreme Court had ruled in Rice v. Cayetanothat the electorate for Office of Hawaiian Affairs(OHA) trustees could not be restricted to Hawai-ians. At the basis of the decision was the federal gov-ernment 's long-standing failure to accordHawaiians the recognition granted other indige-nous peoples living under U.S. jurisdiction. Mostimportantly, the ruling raised questions about thelegality of Hawaiian entitlement programs and themillions of dollars controlled by OHA.

On January 17, 1993, thousands of Hawaiiansgathered on the grounds of the Iolani Palace, itsbalconies draped in black mourning bunting, to ob-serve the centennial of the overthrow of the Hawai-ian monarchy and to protest the loss of theirindependence. Soon after the 1893 overthrow,Queen Lili'uokalani spent eight months forciblyconfined to a second-floor room in the palace'ssoutheast corner. From 1893-1968, the buildinghoused the legislatures for the provincial govern-ment, the Republic, the Territory, and the State ofHawaii, with the throne room serving as the Houseof Representatives and the dining room as the Sen-ate. The current state capitol is situated behind thepalace and across the street from the house built forLili'uokalani's mother-in-law, now serving as the

governor's mansion. (Lili'uokalani lived there afterthe overthrow.) In sum, if ever there was an exam-ple of one government literally and figuratively oc-cupying the territory of its predecessor, Honolulu'sCapitol District is it. To describe the site as con-tested is an understatement. Consequently, the at-titudes toward the palace held by variouscommunities have to be taken into account with ev-ery event hosted on the premises, much less the in-terpretation of the site itself.

As Alice Guild, the Executive Director of theFriends of Iolani Palace, told me in an interview forthis review, "We wanted to be sure at this stage inour cultural development that what is done here atthe palace is done with the utmost care, thought,and appropriateness. We wanted to set a standardthat said these objects are treasured and worthy ofthe best that we can give them: the finest exhibit de-sign, the highest standard of conservation. In thepast, these objects may not have always receivedthe care they deserved." Indeed. After the over-throw, the palace furnishings and royal possessionswere auctioned off, often while ships were in port sothat the objects' eventual whereabouts becameeven more uncertain. The story is told of a securityguard throwing a gem-studded crown against thewall in April of 1893 to more readily pocket its jew-els. Queen Lili'uokalani herself ordered that herjewelry be auctioned off after her death so the pro-ceeds could be used to establish a trust for orphanedchildren (today's Queen Lili'uokalani Children'sTrust). Over time, many of these objects have beenlocated and bought back or donated to the palace,where they have been restored at considerable ex-pense. It is worth noting that the cost of the new in-stallation (over $1 million) was paid for by privatesources. Significantly, the only source of publicfunds was the Hawaii Tourism Authority, whichprovided a $75,000 grant.

Curator Corinne Chun is to be congratulated forproducing exhibits that possess both the dignity lo-cal residents expect and the accessibility required

Museum Anthropology 25(1 ):54-46. Copyright ©2001 American Anthropological Association.

55

by tourists who visit the palace. In addition to ex-hibiting the royal regalia, Chun has chosen to dis-play aspects of palace life, which give theinstallation an "upstairs-downstairs" quality. Visi-tors descend an outdoor stairway into the palace,originally used only by servants, to enter the scul-lery. Like other areas of the palace, built in 1882 forKing Kalakaua, the scullery boasted the latestconveniences of the day: hot and cold running wa-ter, wood-fired stoves, an ice box — with ice im-ported from Alaska, a dumbwaiter, and gaschandeliers. (The palace was electrified in 1887.) Aglass-fronted closet reveals the display of statechina. The dishes are but one example of the exhibi-tion's theme; namely, the monarchy's use of bothHawaiian and Western symbols of power. If thestate china is from France and the silverware (all3265 pieces) is from Sheffield, England, there is alsoa set of ko bowls that were used at lu'au. The staffserved both banquets and lu'au, as well as threemeals a day plus tea. The kitchen must have been inconstant use.

Down a short corridor are located four small gal-leries containing royal artifacts. In the first galleryone finds traditional chiefly insignia, which may bemost appealing to local residents or to those who ap-preciate the significance of what they are looking at:kahili (feather standards), 'umeke (calabashes), leinihopalaoa (necklaces of whale-tooth ivory and hu-man hair), lei 'aland leipo'o (neck and head leis, re-spectively), a magnificent full-length feather cloakclaimed by Kamehameha I (d. 1819), the unifier ofthe islands and founder of the monarchy, and alarge temple drum, also owned by Kamehameha I.The discerning viewer may note that the four-foothigh drum carved from a coconut tree trunk has hu-man teeth in its base. Kahili or feather standardspreceded the monarch upon entering the throneroom or in processions. A standard from QueenLili'uokalani's funeral procession is among thosedisplayed. It has green parrot feathers and a tor-toise shell handle, inlaid with human bone. Themost potent kahili incorporated the bones of ene-mies slain in battle. The largest kahili were overthirty feet tall. The feathers were removed aftereach use and a room in the palace was set aside justfor storing and assembling kahili. (It is slated for fu-ture restoration.) Hawaiian friends have cited thekahili as being the most affecting objects for them,given the close personal association with individualmonarchs. I was taken with the whale ivory pen-

dants on which were inscribed the owners' names,written personally by Queen Kapi'olani,

The galleries make Hawaii's monarchs comealive both as individuals and as representatives oftheir status and era. To illustrate my point, exhibitdesigners from the continental U.S. had suggestedthat Kamehameha's yellow feathered cloak be dis-played horizontally, as a piece of art. However, thatwas not how it was utilized or viewed by Hawaiiansof the time. Traditionally worn into battle, the cloakis displayed on a mannequin, falling in folds from itsshoulders. The stunning object is thus not only theliteral center of attention in the gallery but, so dis-played, gives the viewer a sense of the wearer aswell. For the significance of the cloak did not residein its workmanship but in its ownership; i.e., whowore it and, therefore, whose mana or spiritualforce came to inhabit it. While visitors are undoubt-edly impressed by the fact that it took 30-40 years tocollect the 500,000 feathers required from 80,000birds to construct such a cloak, for those with Ha-waiian cultural values the very existence and prox-imity of the cloak itself are paramount.

The second gallery contains the royal crowns, acomposite of English, French, and Hawaiian motifsexecuted in gold, precious stones, and purple velvet.Also on display are the scepter and sword of state,the latter an exact replica of Britain's. Photographsof the monarchs with these objects make their his-torical role all the more vivid, and the technique isespecially effective in the third gallery where themonarchs are shown wearing the jewelry that is ondisplay in the cases. The occasion on which much ofthe finery was worn was Queen Victoria's GoldenJubilee, celebrated in London in 1887. While in-vited to appear in native garb, the days of wearingfine island kapa (tapa) were long over for Hawaii'smonarchs. (Even Kamehameha I had chosen towear European clothing while posing for a portrait.)The two gowns Queen Kapi'iolani brought with herto London combined European style with a flair forthe dramatic. The more famous gown was of azureblue velvet, trimmed in peacock feathers. The sec-ond dress was of black velvet, draped with a lei ofrare yellow feathers. Then-Princess Lili'uokalani,sister of King Kalakaua, purchased a diamond but-terfly brooch in London to wear at the Jubilee; it isdisplayed along with a photo of her wearing it in herhair. One particularly eye-catching case contains atiger's claw necklace and brooch.

56 MUSEUM ANTHROPOLOGY VOLUME 25 NUMBER 1

The fourth gallery speaks most clearly of howHawaii's monarchy was regarded by its diplomaticcounterparts. In it are cases of the royal orders,sashes, and collars that were exchanged betweenforeign sovereigns. Among the countries repre-sented are Japan, England, and Portugal. Acrossthe corridor is a restored room reflecting the inter-nal, daily life of the state: the chamberlain's office.As manager of the palace, the chamberlain super-vised a staff of sixty people and had to move comfort-ably in two cultures. The visitor sees a typicalVictorian office with window shutters, gas lighting,and the newest and most luxurious of floor-coverings, linoleum. Just before returning to thestaircase, one passes the last example of the pal-ace's state-of-the-art conveniences: the servants'indoor toilet facilities. The four stalls have louvereddoors, polished wooden seating on a raised plat-form, and flush toilets.

The Friends of 'Iolani Palace, the volunteermembership organization that administers the pal-ace, is to be commended for the breadth and vitalityof the installation, as well as for making the restora-tion of these objects apriority. Designer George Sex-ton's work is tasteful, elegant, and refined, whileclearly reflecting island priorities and sensibility.

In terms of interpretation, the use of photographsand anecdotes focuses the visitor's attention on theimmediate, virtually tangible connection betweenobject and owner. As a result of this personalizedapproach, the story of Hawaii's last monarchs islargely depoliticized — at least for the less knowl-edgeable visitor. However, for those who are cultur-ally accustomed to look to the past for answers tocontemporary problems, the approach makes theexhibits all the more meaningful and poignant. Ul-timately, this is not a history display, although it ef-fectively evokes the past. Neither is it an exhibitionof art objects, stunning though individual piecesmay be. What one comes away with is insight intohow a family, albeit a uniquely placed family,sought to straddle two very different worlds withgrace and dignity. In conclusion, the galleries are awelcome addition to the interpretation of the pal-ace, along with the docent tours that have long beenoffered of the palace's first-floor staterooms and itssecond-floor private rooms. The audiocassette toursbeing planned should enhance the visitor experi-ence for those less familiar with Hawaiian names,history, and tradition. One eagerly anticipates theFriends' next restoration project: an orientationgallery that will include material about the siteprior to the building of the palace.