June 14, 2023
Te Papa welcome for much-travelled ancestors
The manager of the repatriation for Te Papa Tongarewa says he has a sense of relief at the arrival this morning of the remains of 95 Māori and Moriori ancestors from Germany.
Te Herekiekie Haerehuka Herewini says the koiwi Maori, kōimi t’chakat Moriori and toi moko from seven institutions are being welcomed by tangata whenua from Whanganui a Tara as well as representatives from other iwi where a connection has been established or suspected.
Work continues on getting more remains back from Europe and North and South America as well as supporting the repatriation efforts of other indigenous peoples.
“Our Tipuna were never meant to travel overseas. They were meant to stay in their sacred repositories, their wahi tapu and be comforted by their whanau, hapou and iwi. But as we know there was a trade in our ancerstors and it’s the right thing to bring them back,” Mr Herewini says.
He says some of the remains were looted and then traded by colonial museums here.