Tears flow as Moriori ancestral remains welcomed at Te Papa

Friday, 8 July 2022

There was also a large repatriation of Moriori ancestral remains welcomed at Te Papa in July, 2022.

Nearly 200 people gathered at Rongomaraeroa Te Marae in Te Papa to welcome the country’s largest ever repatriation of ancestral remains belonging to a single imi (tribe).

Light rain fell over a still Wellington harbour as 111 Kōimi T’chakat Moriori (Moriori skeletal remains) and two Māori ancestral remains were carried on to marae grounds in the dawn ceremony on Friday.

Māui Solomon of the Hokotehi Moriori Trust said it was an emotional moment.

“It was an awesome welcome from the tangata whenua, the mana whenua. I had tears in my eyes,” Solomon said.

The largest ever repatriation of Moriori ancestral remains have been welcomed back to New Zealand.

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An early morning ceremony marked the culmination of over 15 years of research and negotiation by Moriori descendants and the Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme to return the remains.

The hokomaurahiri (repatriation ceremony) was the culmination of 15 years of research and negotiation by Moriori descendants and the Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme.

The remains included skulls, mandibles, body parts and a small number of complete skeletons taken from Rēkohu (Chatham Islands), which were returned by London’s Natural History Museum.

Kiwa Hammond and Māui Solomon, of the Hokotehi Moriori Trust, look on as the remains are covered during the hokomaurahiri (repatriation ceremony) in Rongomaraeroa Te Marae at Te Papa on Friday.

Solomon commended the museum for its actions.

“This demonstrates the Natural History Museum’s respect for Moriori culture and their willingness to right past wrongdoings and return Kōimi T’chakat Moriori home.”

The repatriation also included the remains of nearly 200 additional karāpuna (Moriori ancestors) from Otago University, Tūhura Otago Museum, Canterbury Museum, Whanganui Regional Museum and Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Solomon also acknowledged Te Papa for its work with the imi.

“Te Papa was the first New Zealand institution to recognise Moriori and that has been very important to us,” he said.

The ancestors will join hundreds of others to eventually be returned to their homeland on Rēkohu.

Solomon said the removal of remains for collection, trade and research in the late 1800s was based on a “fixation and belief that the Moriori were becoming an extinct people”.

“But we’re not an extinct people, contrary to popular belief. You can just see from the number that are here today and there’s thousands more. It’s awesome to see our people here. It’s a happy day.”

The ceremony coincided with the opening of a refreshed display of Moriori taonga at Te Papa.