This superb feathered cape on the right was given to Captain James Cook on his final voyage to the Pacific by Hawaiian chief Kalani‘ōpu‘u. This probably occurred in 1778 or in January 1779, shortly before the altercation which led to Cook’s death at the hand of Kalani‘ōpu‘u.

The gift of the cape was a sign of great respect. Feathered capes were the preserve of chiefs, worn during ceremonies and in battle, and gave the wearer power and spiritual protection.

Surrounding the cape are other traditional Polynesian objects of prestige, many of which Cook collected. They are now deeply symbolic of cross-cultural engagement in the Pacific. Within a century of Cook’s voyage, colonial regimes had undermined traditional systems of power and identity and many prestige objects were no longer made.

Polynesian prestige objects were often made of striking local materials. Both Cook’s cape and the Maori cloak to the left are fashioned from the feathers of native birds. Front and left, the Hei-tiki pendants and mere short clubs are carved from greenstone or nephrite jade. The Maori classified greenstone into four types based on its colour and translucency. One is named for a pearly green fish; one for the clearness of the sky; another for the leaves of the kawakawa tree; and the last for tears of sorrow.

In the centre is one of the Australian Museum Research Library’s greatest treasures, a bound volume holding 132 watercolours of natural history specimens and ethnographic objects painted by scientific illustrator Sarah Stone. The objects, which include many items collected by James Cook during his Pacific voyages, were held in the private museum of Sir Ashton Lever. The museum displayed over 25,000 objects and was considered second only to the British Museum. Financial difficulties forced Lever to sell the museum via lottery. The winner also suffered financial problems and the collection was eventually dismantled and sold off. As well as being of exceptional artistic quality, Sarah Stone’s paintings continue to be an important ethnographic and scientific record.