1769: “Sacred taonga that left the shores”

May 6, 2020

By AHNZ

When Cook’s Endeavour re-discovered New Zealand a number of artefacts were traded by the explorers and treasured back in England. By now, 250 years down the track, they’re not, of course, all kept in the same collection. So, it’s wonderful that Tairawhiti Museum have gathered some of these objects back together again in New Zealand.

Is it any wonder it took them a “ten year long battle” to do so? One of the major concerns any donor museum will have if it is to participate in such a civilised cooperation is that their valuables aren’t pinched in the process!

“Sacred taonga that left the shores of Te Tairāwhiti 250 years ago will return home…The homecoming will see these taonga stand in their rightful place…the result of the determination by Tairāwhiti iwi for the taonga to return…to reclaim…” – Tairawhiti Museum

“After a ten year long battle a collection of taonga left on board Captain Cook’s ship the Endevour will be returned, on loan,…”- RNZ

 

There are sentiments of ‘battle’ and ‘loss’ and ‘return’ and ‘getting back.’ Instead of ‘artifacts’ the objects are referred to as ‘taonga’- Maori’s treasure.

Listen more carefully and it turns out these are objects traded or gifted 250 years ago. They don’t belong to New Zealand anymore. They are not our national ‘taonga’ and that’s in keeping with the wishes of the old people who swapped them out.

“Taonga returning include eight painted hoe paddles, traded at sea off Whareongaonga (south of Tūranganui-a-Kiwa) on October 12, 1769, and Te Poupou o Hinematioro from her whare on Te Pourewa Island on October 28, 1769. Other taonga include rākau (weapons), kākahu (cloaks), tātua (belts), whakairo (carvings) and adornments.” – Tairawhiti Museum

And, in fact, if these things had not been entrusted with Cook and the people after him whose treasure they are what would now remain of them? The Maori way was to destroy such objects either actively because the person they belonged to died or passively by letting them rot over the years.

What the museum says in public shows us who their target demographic is. They are fanning the flames of grievance and separatism in order to encourage visits to their museum. But surely this is two-faced; Hypocrisy! Behind the marketing campaign spun forth on Radio New Zealand the museum must certainly have a professional outlook that allows the true offshore owners to know their property is secure. The foreign owners of the artefacts will have been warned by Tairawhiti Museum to expect some bullshit publicity on the home front and not to worry because they didn’t really mean it. It’s just a game they play with their Muggle mark patrons here in New Zealand to get them to visit their attraction.

Sadly, this makes Tairawhiti Museum less of a museum and more of a theme park side show.

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Note: The Tū te Whaihanga exhibition expires in October 2020

Ref. Also 1844: George Angas Jr

Image ref. Eight painted hoe paddles; EIT Tairawhiti; Facebook

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