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There’s a changing of the guard at Te Papa this weekend, as the exhibition Tai timu, tai pari, Tainui: Journey of a people, comes down after two and a half years.
Shane Te Ruki, who has been one of the two kaumatua on hand over the past six months to welcome visitors, says more than 800,000 people have been through the show.
He says it’s a life changing experience for the tribal representatives who act as kaitiaki for the show, as they become involved in other activities at the national museum like the repatriation of koiwi and toi moko from overseas institutions.
Mr Te Ruki says Te Papa’s approach to its tribal surveys means visitors see more than artifacts behind glass.
"These taonga have a whakapapa. They have a whanau, they have a hapu, they have an iwi behind them. These aren’t things from some ancient past but they are relative and we are here and now and continuing on our various journeys," he says.
The next iwi exhibition features Ngati Toa, and the iwi takes up residence in June.
TO LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH SHANE TE RUKI CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MTU4MzA=
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