The newly announced exhibition will shine a light on Hawaiʻi’s history, artistry and relationship with the United Kingdom.
© The Trustees of the British Museu
The British Museum has unveiled details for its upcoming new exhibition exploring the history of Hawaiʻi and its ties with the UK.
On display from the 15th January until the 25th May 2026, this show commemorates 200 years since a series of events including the visit of Hawaiian King Liholiho (Kamehameha II) and Queen Kamāmalu to London with a royal delegation to seek alliance and protection from the Crown.
Settled around AD 1000 by skilled Polynesian seafarers navigating by the stars and following the flight of migratory birds, the Hawaiian archipelago is often remembered in the UK as the place where Captain James Cook lost his life during a voyage of exploration in the islands in 1778–79. Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans acknowledges this moment while focusing on movements, stories and voyages initiated from Hawaiʻi itself. This display has been created with the assistance of Native Hawaiian knowledge-bearers.
Visitors will see around 150 extraordinary objects and artworks bringing this history to life including a ʻahu ʻula (feathered cloak) sent in 1810 by the first king of unified Hawaiʻi, Kamehameha I, to King George III, the largest known example of its kind. Lent by His Majesty The King from the Royal Collection, the cloak will be on display for the first time in over 100 years, alongside the Hawaiian king’s original letter requesting support and protection from the British Crown.
Meanwhile, greeting visitors on the stairs of the Great Court is a powerful, nine-foot kiʻi (image) of the god Kū, the god of warfare and governance, dressed with a contemporary loincloth and standing atop a pole rediscovered inside a historical plinth ahead of the exhibition.
The creation of the exhibition is grounded in a renewed curatorial approach developed with Native Hawaiian knowledge-bearers. A co-stewarded process, the creation of the exhibition involved community partners in a holistic manner, from the shaping of the narrative to the design of the gallery, the meticulous conservation of ancestral treasures and the inclusion of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) throughout the space.
To find out more visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/hawaii-kingdom-crossing-oceans