history
Hawaii: A Kingdom Crossing Oceans review
British Museum, LondonThis retelling of Captain Cook’s death and the merging of two cultures is a trove of miraculously preserved wonders – but beware of the shark-toothed club!
TL;DR
- The article recounts the death of Captain Cook in Hawaii in 1779, a tragedy attributed to cultural misunderstanding.
- An exhibition at the British Museum, in collaboration with indigenous Hawaiian curators, explores the complex encounter between British and Hawaiian cultures.
- The show features artifacts brought back by Cook, including feathered god faces and a shark-toothed club, illustrating Hawaiian artistic achievements.
- Monarchy served as a common language between the two nations, leading to diplomatic exchanges like King Kamehameha I sending a cloak to George III.
- Hawaiian monarchs King Liholiho and Queen Kamamulu visited Britain in 1824, receiving diplomatic honors, though they tragically died of measles.
- The exhibition celebrates Hawaiian culture and museums with global collections, presenting the artifacts as embodiments of living culture and tools for cultural resistance.
- The article notes that while Britain did not seize Hawaii, the US eventually did, making it the 50th state.