Curators' Tour of Hawai'i: A Kingdom Crossing Oceans | British Museum Exhibition

Why It Matters

The exhibition reshapes narratives of Hawaiian sovereignty, demonstrating how collaborative museum practices can amplify Indigenous perspectives while illuminating a forgotten chapter of Anglo‑Hawaiian diplomacy.

Key Takeaways

• Exhibition co‑created with Native Hawaiian community, honoring ancestral voices.
• Highlights 200‑year diplomatic ties between Hawaiian Kingdom and Britain.
• Features rare artifacts: feathered cloaks, drums, royal letters, coat of arms.
• Juxtaposes historic documents with contemporary art expressing resistance and resilience.
• Demonstrates ongoing cultural revival through new works inspired by museum collections.

Summary

The British Museum has opened “Hawai‘i: a kingdom crossing oceans,” a landmark exhibition that traces the archipelago’s pre‑colonial societies, its 19th‑century diplomatic overtures to the United Kingdom, and the contemporary resurgence of Native Hawaiian art.

Curated alongside Hawaiian knowledge‑bearers, the show marks the 200‑year anniversary of King Kamehameha II’s 1823 delegation to London. It displays ancestral objects such as feathered ‘ahu ‘ula cloaks, mahiole helmets, carved lei niho palaoa, and a contemporary drum, Akeanali‘i, recreated by artist Kana‘e Keawe. Historic documents—including Kamehameha I’s 1810 letter, the royal coat of arms sketch of 1843, and the Anglo‑Franco proclamation of independence—are paired with British regalia like George IV’s coronation surcoat.

Highlights include a recorded chant that greets visitors, the dramatic reenactment of the Hawaiian delegation’s audience with George IV, and a juxtaposition of a 19th‑century letter from Queen Lili‘uokalani with Kapulani Landgraf’s modern photograph of activist Haunani‑Kay Trask. Contemporary barkcloth by Bernice Akamine weaves the Union Jack into the Hawaiian flag, while poet Brandy Nālani McDougall’s verses are performed by Kamehameha Schools students, linking past and future.

By bringing together objects that have never before shared a gallery, the exhibition reframes Hawaiian history as a story of agency, resistance, and resilience. It underscores the museum’s shift toward collaborative curation, offers a platform for Indigenous voices, and invites global audiences to reconsider the legacy of colonial diplomacy.

Original Description

Join curators Alice Christophe and Frøya Crabtree for a behind-the-scenes tour of Hawai‘i: a kingdom crossing oceans – a powerful and innovative new exhibition at the British Museum created together with members of the Hawaiian community.

Through extraordinary objects, such as feathered cloaks worn by chiefs, carved kiʻi (deities), shark-toothed weapons, and bold contemporary works, this exhibition shines light on the story of Hawai‘i’s global connections and cultural resilience. Marking over 200 years since the visit of Hawaiian King Liholiho, Queen Kamāmalu and a royal delegation to the UK to seek alliance and protection from the British Crown, the exhibition reveals the deep relationship between Hawaiʻi and the Great Britain.

Created collaboratively with Native Hawaiian artists, practitioners and scholars, the show centres Indigenous voices and knowledge, bringing together multiple ways of knowing and experiencing the extraordinary objects on display.

With thanks to the lenders whose support has helped make this exhibition possible, including:

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum

The Royal Collection / HM King Charles III

The College of Arms

The National Archives

Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts

A private collection

00:00 Introduction

01:20 A Hawaiian drum named Akeanali‘i.

03:15 A collection exploring the connection between gods and chiefs

05:18 Chief Kamehameha I

07:35 King Liholiho and Queen Kamāmalu travel to London

11:30 The Hawaiian coat of arms

12:55 The Anglo-Franco Proclamation of Independence of Hawai'i

13:55 Resistance

Portrait of Native Hawaiian scholar and activist, Haunani-Kay Trask.

14:59 Coexistence

Barkcloth by Bernice Akamine

16:18 Resilience

Working with cultural practitioners from the Hawaiian community

17:01 A poem for the future of Hawai’I by Brandy Nālani McDougall

17:25 Conclusion