Human remains belonging to groups from New Zealand have been returned from nine collections in the UK, Museums Journal can reveal.
Forty-six ancestral remains were repatriated to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa in Wellington in November. The requests had come from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage's repatriation programme for human remains, managed by Te Papa's repatriation unit.
The organisations involved were National Museums Liverpool; Swansea Museum, Wales; Hancock Museum, Newcastle; Bristol City Museum; Bexhill Museum; Plymouth City Museum; University College London; Royal College of Surgeons, London; and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Swansea Museum returned one Maori head, or toi moko, after Swansea curator, Garethe El Tawab, contacted the Te Papa museum in 2005. "I couldn't see any way I would want it displayed," said El Tawab. "I kept thinking I wouldn't want my great granddad sitting on a shelf in a museum somewhere."
Te Papa representatives, Lee Rauhina-August, the repatriation programme coordinator and Te Herekiekie Herewini, the repatriation manager, arrived at Swansea to collect the ancestral remains.
The Royal College of Surgeons returned 20 items of Maori ancestral remains dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. Before 2001, the college only considered requests from individuals.
But in light of three repatriation requests from Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand its policy was changed to accept group applications. The college repatriated remains to Australia in 2003 and to Tasmania in 2002.
The repatriation team at Te Papa said: "We are looking forward to further developing the relationships between our institutions, and sharing research information."
Maurice Davies who was a member of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Working Group on Human Remains, said: "It's very encouraging. This approach where human remains are going to a museum that will then carry out detailed research is very sensible."
Forty-six ancestral remains were repatriated to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa in Wellington in November. The requests had come from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage's repatriation programme for human remains, managed by Te Papa's repatriation unit.
The organisations involved were National Museums Liverpool; Swansea Museum, Wales; Hancock Museum, Newcastle; Bristol City Museum; Bexhill Museum; Plymouth City Museum; University College London; Royal College of Surgeons, London; and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Swansea Museum returned one Maori head, or toi moko, after Swansea curator, Garethe El Tawab, contacted the Te Papa museum in 2005. "I couldn't see any way I would want it displayed," said El Tawab. "I kept thinking I wouldn't want my great granddad sitting on a shelf in a museum somewhere."
Te Papa representatives, Lee Rauhina-August, the repatriation programme coordinator and Te Herekiekie Herewini, the repatriation manager, arrived at Swansea to collect the ancestral remains.
The Royal College of Surgeons returned 20 items of Maori ancestral remains dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. Before 2001, the college only considered requests from individuals.
But in light of three repatriation requests from Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand its policy was changed to accept group applications. The college repatriated remains to Australia in 2003 and to Tasmania in 2002.
The repatriation team at Te Papa said: "We are looking forward to further developing the relationships between our institutions, and sharing research information."
Maurice Davies who was a member of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Working Group on Human Remains, said: "It's very encouraging. This approach where human remains are going to a museum that will then carry out detailed research is very sensible."
