Toi moko from the Ethnological Museum return to New Zealand
Press release from 10/12/2020
A ceremony was held today at the Ethnological Museum of the National Museums in Berlin to prepare two mummified and tattooed Māori heads (Toi moko) for their repatriation to New Zealand. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK), to which the Ethnological Museum belongs, had decided to return them in the middle of the year.
The ceremony was conducted by Mr Te Arikirangi Mamaku, Coordinator of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Repatriation Programme. Also in attendance was the Ambassador of New Zealand, H.E. Mr Rupert Holborow. Te Papa has been commissioned by the New Zealand government to repatriate the remains of Māori ancestors since 2003.
Hermann Parzinger, President of the SPK, said: "Today's ceremony marks the beginning of the return journey of the Toi moko from the Ethnological Museum. This is the first repatriation of mortal remains for the SPK, and I am very pleased that it was able to take place this year despite the pandemic situation. I would like to express my sincere thanks for the uncomplicated cooperation and fruitful dialogue with our New Zealand partners. We are constantly learning through our own provenance research, but also through such exchanges, and we will do everything we can to continue on this path in order to make amends for historical injustice."
Monika Grütters, Minister of State for Culture and the Media: "The return of the two Toi Moko to New Zealand is another important sign of reconciliation to the societies affected by colonialism. We are thus honouring a central promise of the 'First Key Points for Dealing with Collections from Colonial Contexts' made by the federal, state and local governments: The restitution of human remains has top priority in the processing of colonial artefacts. We have found an amicable solution to this in a respectful dialogue with our partners in New Zealand. In this way, we are once again standing up for our historical responsibility to come to terms with German colonial history."
The Toi moko from the Ethnological Museum
The heads that will return to New Zealand are so-called Toi moko. "Moko" refers to tattoos deeply carved into the skin in Māori. The concept of "Toi" encompasses the origin of humanity, with the added dimension of reaching the pinnacle of artistic achievement. Toi Moko is a contemporary Maori term used for certain mortal remains of Maori ancestors to be reinterred with dignity and respect after their fate as objects of trade.
High-ranking members of Māori society often endeavoured to preserve moko. For hundreds of years, the heads of high-ranking chiefs and warriors were prepared and preserved by their relatives to become toi moko. Toi moko were coveted collector's items in the 19th century. European demand gave rise to a new type of trade, and slaves or prisoners of war were tattooed and killed specifically for this purpose. This process desecrated the Toi moko. Against this background, the SPK has decided to repatriate the Toi moko, regardless of the specific circumstances of their acquisition in 1879 and 1905.
The names of the deceased (tūpuna or ancestors), their fate and the exact route by which the two Toi moko came to Europe are unknown. The documents of the Ethnological Museum reveal that one Toi moko (Inv. No. VI 2559) was acquired for the museum in London in 1879 by Fedor Jagor, an amateur ethnologist. The other Toi moko (Inv. No. VI 23649) was donated to the museum in 1905 by Hermann Meyer, a widely travelled publisher and geographer who, however, never visited Oceania. Neither Fedor Jagor nor Hermann Meyer brought them to Europe. After their return to New Zealand, the Toi moko will remain in the sacred repository of Te Papa while research continues into their exact place of origin.
About the ceremony and its elements
Today's ceremony took place in the foyer of the Dahlem Museums. Central elements of Māori traditions were mixed with Western traditions to suit the occasion. Further adjustments had to be made due to the protective measures against COVID-19, for example the chants took place with masks.
The ceremony began with a karanga, a traditional Māori women's call to honour the ancestors (tūpuna). The tūpuna were carefully carried into the ceremonial room protected in containers, carefully placed on a table and covered with black cloth. Karakia (historical prayers or invocations) were recited to honour the ancestors' journey home and ensure their safety. This was followed by a formal mihi (speech) in Māori that paid respect to the ancestors and hosts and honoured the occasion, as well as a waiata (sung poem). After the speeches by Hermann Parzinger and Lars-Christian Koch, Director of the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art, as well as H.E. Mr Rupert Holborow, Hermann Parzinger and Mr Te Arikirangi Mamaku signed the handover agreement and the ceremony was concluded with another waiata sung by the entire New Zealand delegation.
Press photos of the ceremony will be available soon at: https://www.preussischer-kulturbesitz.de/newsroom/presse/pressebilder.html. For video recordings, please contact Mr Steiner, ZDF: steiner.m(at)zdf(dot)de / 030-20991522.
On the SPK's basic attitude to the handling of human remains in its collections: https://www.preussischer-kulturbesitz.de/schwerpunkte/provenienzforschung-und-eigentumsfragen/umgang-mit-menschlichen-ueberresten.html
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and its repatriation programme
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum with the world's most important collection of Māori art and cultural artefacts. It works closely with the iwi Māori (Māori tribes). Since 2003, it has returned more than 600 ancestral remains to New Zealand through the Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme. Whenever possible, these are handed over to the descendants. The Toi moko from the Ethnological Museum will be welcomed back with a ceremony at Te Papa in early November.
More information: https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/about/repatriation
Press contact: Kate Camp; kate.camp(at)tepapa.govt(dot)nz;+64(0)296010180