This royal serving dish, beautifully carved, demonstrates the highly developed woodworking techniques of Hawaiians before European contact. The priceless original is held in the collection of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Originally the possession of the King of Maui, Kahelili, history describes the figures on either side of the bowl as King Kahahana and his wife, Keuapoi, who ruled the Hawaiian Island Oahu. Kahekili not only taunted them by causing them in effigy to support his meat dish, but he added insult by dipping unto their mouths for his condiments.