First look: a new exhibition at the British Museum puts Hawaiian culture at the fore

A low chant fills the gallery, its rhythm carried by a drum handcarved in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. Feathered cloaks glow under soft light, bold in red and yellow, hung as if still worn by Hawaiian chiefs. On the wall, a map shows the broad sweep of the Hawaiian archipelago, far larger than many imagine.

For two centuries, the story of Hawaiʻi – at least in Britain – has largely been told through the lens of European explorers, most notably James Cook. But this landmark exhibition, staged at the heart of the British Museum, turns that narrative on its head.

In 1824, Hawaiian royalty – King Liholiho (also known as Kamehameha II) and Queen Kamāmalu – arrived in London after a five-month voyage at sea, dazzling crowds as they moved through the city’s theatres, museums and royal halls. Two hundred years later, their journey is told again, this time with Hawaiian voices front and centre.

“The idea of movement is central to this exhibition. We know that people across the Pacific didn’t see the ocean as a barrier; they saw it as a freeway,” explained lead curator Alice Christophe, as we moved through the gallery space.

“But often in the UK, when we talk about Hawaiʻi, we focus on movements of British naval officers to the archipelago. In this exhibition, we talk about movements from Hawaiʻi to London. We felt it was an important moment to shift the narrative. And by doing that, we get a show that’s grounded in Hawaiian perspective.”

The royal visit that drives the exhibition was not merely ceremonial – it was a deliberate act of diplomacy. In the early 19th century, Hawaiʻi had only recently been unified as a kingdom and it was navigating an increasingly crowded Pacific, as British, American and French interests pressed into its waters. King Liholiho (Kamehameha II) followed a strategy begun by his father, Kamehameha I, who had written directly to the British Crown seeking recognition and protection for Hawaiʻi as a sovereign nation. Travelling with the queen and a full royal delegation, Liholiho intended to formalise that relationship in person and secure Hawaiʻi’s place among the powers of the day. 

The poignancy of this historical moment comes most sharply into focus in the pairing of a feathered cloak and a handwritten letter, shown together for the first time. Written in 1810 by Kamehameha I to George III, the letter seeks friendship and recognition for Hawaiʻi as a sovereign kingdom and promises a gift. The gift in question is the cloak displayed beside it: the largest known Hawaiian feathered cloak in existence, made from thousands of red and yellow feathers and sent across the world as a gesture of alliance. The letter bears the king’s own signature.

“For me, that grouping together – the large cloak with the letter – is absolutely unprecedented,” Christophe said. “It’s an extraordinary exhibition moment and it really opens towards the future.” 

Elsewhere, the exhibition is grounded in Hawaiian cosmology and craft. The gallery opens with a powerful figure of the god Kū, associated with warfare and governance, while finely worked weapons show extraordinary artistry. Nearby, rare Hawaiian kapa (barkcloth) is displayed without glass, its intricate patterns and texture revealed in full, and co-curated with contemporary makers who continue the tradition today. 

Together, these objects speak not only to the past, but to a culture that continues to evolve. The exhibition was developed in tandem with contemporary Hawaiian makers, cultural practitioners and scholars, many of whom are actively keeping traditions alive – and in some cases relearning techniques by studying ancestral works held in the museum’s collections. Their presence is felt throughout the galleries, from newly made objects and filmed contributions to handwritten, hand-signed information panels that foreground Hawaiian voices at every turn. 

“People are still engaging with these treasures and making things,” added Christophe. “The craftsmanship is not lost.”

The exhibition brings together works from across the British Museum’s own permanent collection, alongside significant loans from partner institutions. These include the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu, where Christophe herself previously worked, as well as the Royal Collection Trust and The National Archives. 

The exhibition also confronts the royal visit’s tragic end. Shortly after their arrival in London, both King Liholiho and Queen Kamāmalu contracted measles, a disease to which Hawaiians had no prior immunity. They died within weeks of one another, aged just 26 and 22, far from home and at the height of a diplomatic mission intended to secure Hawaiʻi’s future. Their deaths shocked both Britain and Hawaiʻi, abruptly ending the visit but not the relationships it sought to forge. The surviving members of the delegation continued their work, exchanging gifts with British leaders before returning to Hawaiʻi aboard a Royal Navy ship. 

After the tragedy in London, the exhibition widens its focus to what followed. It traces the continuation of Hawaiian-British diplomacy, from the return of the surviving delegation aboard a Royal Navy ship to the succession of a young Kamehameha III and the exchange of further royal gifts. Landmark documents from 1843 record Britain’s formal recognition of Hawaiʻi as an independent kingdom, before the narrative darkens again with the 1893 overthrow of the monarchy by US-backed forces and Queen Liliʻuokalani’s unanswered appeal for support. The exhibition closes in the present, foregrounding contemporary Hawaiian voices in a moving video set against the islands themselves.

“I hope visitors to this exhibition leave with an understanding that Hawaii is a living culture – that Hawaiian people are resilient, that they’re open, that they’re grounded. That’s really key for me: we’re not talking about culture that’s far away in time. It’s culture that’s living; that’s here.”

Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans is on display at the British Museum from January 12-May 25 2026.