Hawaiians believed that the gods were born covered head-to-toe in feathers, and could move effortlessly between Earth and the heavens. Handmade featherwork was used to symbolise and strengthen the connection of ali’i (chiefs and nobility) and kahuna (religious leaders, scholars and teachers) to the divine, as the source of their mana and authority.

Mele Kahalepuna Chun is a third-generation kumu hulu – a recognised expert practitioner and teacher of Hawaiian featherwork. Through this practice she carries forward the legacy of her mother, the late Paulette Nohealani Kahalepuna, and grandmother, the late Mary Louise Wentworth Peck Kekuewa. 

Hina 2024 unifies three featherwork forms – lei (feather garlands), kāhili (royal feather standards) and ‘ahu‘ula (royal feather cloaks). Each of the sacred objects in the installation begins with a meticulous process of cutting, arranging and skilfully binding together thousands of individual, ethically sourced feathers. Collectively, the work honours the stories and attributes of Hina, goddess of the moon, one of the oldest Hawaiian deities. Hina’s stories resound throughout the Pacific, celebrating the balance between feminine and masculine energies, with the moon understood as an ever-present creative force and guide to living in alignment with natural rhythms. Chun’s work thoughtfully draws on this knowledge to reflect the spiritual and practical roles that featherwork plays in the lives of Hawaiian people, and the significant contributions women have made to caring for the practice.