Powhiri Underway for Return of Indigenous Maori – Te Papa NZ
The second-largest international repatriation of Maori human remains has taken place at Te Papa in Wellington. Historically, Maori remains were a sought-after commodity, taken overseas without permission. Now, piece by piece, they are coming home and Te Papa’s having to find room to store them. It’s a journey which has spanned half the world and two centuries. The crates coming to Te Papa contain 33 Maori ancestral remains, including four toi moko – preserved tattooed heads – and koiwi tangata – skeletal remains.
They have been returned to New Zealand from five museums throughout the UK and Europe.
“We do work to understand where the collectors or those people who presented them to the museum, where they may have been, what their journeys were, what their interests were,” says Te Papa’s Michelle Hippolite. Ms Hippolite says it is a step towards restoring the dignity of the dead.
The remains will never be displayed at Te Papa.
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BBC News: Sweden Sends Back Maori Remains
Museums across Europe have been repatriating human remains taken from indigenous burial grounds during colonial times….Sweden returned 22 skulls taken from Hawaii and…the National Museum and Gallery of Wales also gave back Maori remains.
