Historically, Hawaiians believed that the gods were born covered head-to-toe in feathers and could move effortlessly between Earth and the heavens. Handmade featherwork originated with the archipelago’s first inhabitants and 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 featherwork – based on the island of O‘ahu in Hawai‘i. She describes her custodianship of the artform as the fulfilment of her kuleana – her sacred responsibility to serve her community and honour the ho‘oilina (legacy) of her family.