France to return Maori heads

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France’s National Assembly voted last week to return 16 tattooed and mummified Maori heads to New Zealand.

New Zealand has for many years tried to bring Maori heads kept in overseas collections back home, out of respect for the country’s Indigenous people. Many museums worldwide have already returned Maori heads in their possession, but some have resisted New Zealand’s calls for repatriation of the remains. The issue has been the subject of years of debate in France.

In 1988 Survival, acting at the request of Maori organizations, secured the return of a tattooed head that was due to be auctioned in London.

New Zealand’s culture and Maori affairs minister Pita Sharples said last week that the heads’ repatriation was a ‘matter of great significance’ for Maori. ‘Maori believe that, through their ancestors’ return to their original homeland, their dignity is restored, and they can be put to rest in peace among their families.’

Many Maori heads were taken from New Zealand by foreign explorers in the 18th and 19th centuries, often having been traded for other goods. They became collectors’ items, prized for their distinctive tattoos.

Currently in several French museums, the 16 heads will be sent first to the Te Papa museum in New Zealand, and then returned to tribal groups for burial.