How were Hawaiian war-god heads constructed and used?

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dilly bag; Aboriginal Australian art, Northern Territory, Australia — Oceanic art and architecture An Aboriginal Australian decorating a tightly woven dilly bag with white, yellow, and ochre (red) paints, Northern Territory, Australia, 1948.

In Hawaiian culture, war-god heads were constructed as formidable images using a base of wickerwork covered with red feathers. These figures featured distinct, menacing details: their mouths were set with dog’s teeth, and their eyes were crafted from large mother-of-pearl plates with wooden knobs serving as pupils. Some of these heads were adorned with locks of human hair, while others featured crests similar to those found on the feathered helmets worn by Hawaiian chiefs.1

Regarding their use, these images were highly significant to the warlike aristocracy of the islands and were carried into battle on long poles to serve as powerful symbols of the deity. They are closely associated with the reign of Kamehameha I, reflecting the religious and martial structures of the period.1