Description:

North Pacific, Hawaiian Islands, ca. 19th century CE. An extremely rare Hawaiian royal staff known as an Ali'i Kahili that is comprised of dozens of tubular wooden segments, each of a dark brown or coffee hue, that are interspersed with trios of hand-carved human bone spacer discs. The significance of the bone discs of Ali'i Kahili was that they were carved from the remains of defeated Hawaiian kings and was therefore considered to be a staff representative of both the role of king and the land itself. Size: 0.6" W x 22.75" H (1.5 cm x 57.8 cm); 24.2" H (61.5 cm) on included custom stand.

Kahilis are symbols of the ali'i chiefs and were adopted as Hawaiian royal standards near the close of the eighteenth century. Similar to how the nobility of Europe use banners with coats of arms, Hawaiian nobility use kahili to show status, lineage, and family ties. There are many sizes and styles of kahili, from very small kahili-pa a-lima (hand kahili) carried like a scepter by female chiefs to the towering formal kahili.

Cf. The British Museum, museum number Oc,HAW.167

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, acquired from 2000 to 2010; ex-private old Oahu, Hawaii, USA collection; purportedly from the auction sale of Queen Emma in 1885

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#184525

  • Condition: Some beads with stable fissures, with bone beads exhibiting darkening to surface color, and some beads loose on the central rod, otherwise intact and excellent. Great surface smoothness and color throughout. Previous inventory label along bottom section.

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March 28, 2024 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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