SPK decides to return two Toi moko
Press release from 09/02/2020
There are two mummified heads of face-tattooed Māori men (Toi moko) in the collections of the Ethnological Museum. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK), to which the Ethnological Museum belongs, will return them to New Zealand.
In autumn 2019, the Museum of New Zealand asked Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington to repatriate two Toi moko, which have been in the collections of the Ethnological Museum of the National Museums in Berlin since 1879 and 1905 respectively.
In Maori, "moko" refers to tattoos. In the past, the heads of high-ranking Māori personalities, who always had ritual tattoos, were prepared after their death, preserved by their relatives and thus became Toi moko. Tattooed Maori heads became coveted collector's items in the 19th century during the colonial era. European demand led to a trade in heads, mainly from slaves or prisoners of war, who were tattooed and killed for this purpose. This process desecrated the Toi moko. Since 2003, Te Papa has been commissioned by the New Zealand government to repatriate the human remains of the Maori.
Hermann Parzinger, President of the SPK, says: "Toi moko have already been repatriated from many museums around the world - the work of Te Papa is impressive. I am glad that with the restitution we can also begin to heal the injustice committed, even if we cannot undo it."
Now that the SPK Foundation Board has given its approval, an agreement on the repatriation of the Toi moko can be concluded. Te Papa will organise the repatriation together with the SPK as soon as possible.
Alexis von Poser, Deputy Director of the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art of the National Museums in Berlin, says: "The Ethnological Museum welcomes the fact that the two Toi moko can be returned to Aotearoa New Zealand. It is of great concern to us to bring the remains of the ancestors home."