The remains of 49 Māori and Moriori ancestors, stolen by an Austrian taxidermist who lived in New Zealand between 1877 to 1889, will be returned to their homeland this weekend.
The first repatriation to New Zealand from the Natural History Museum, Vienna, and the biggest repatriation from Austria includes the group of Māori and Moriori ancestors that represent the remains of approximately 64 individuals.
Records indicate that 49 of these ancestors were collected by Austrian taxidermist and notorious grave-robber Andreas Reischek.
A delegation from New Zealand will receive the remains in Vienna tonight and Te Papa will welcome them home with a repatriation pōwhiri this Sunday.
Professor Sir Pou Temara, Repatriation Advisory Panel Chair acknowledged the importance of this major repatriation.
“These ancestors were stolen by those with no regard for the Māori communities they belonged to,” Temara said.
“In his diary entries Reischek boasts of eluding Māori surveillance, looting sacred places and breaking tapu – he knew exactly what he was doing. His actions were wrong and dishonest.”
“It is always a spiritual relief and privilege to welcome back our ancestors who have been victims of such wrongdoing. Culturally we know that they are weeping with joy now that they have returned to Aotearoa where at last they will rest in peace,” Temara said.
This repatriation concludes 77 years of negotiation between New Zealand and Austria.
Te Papa’s Kaihautū | Māori Co-leader Dr Arapata Hakiwai recognised the Natural History Museum, Vienna and the Austrian government for enabling the return of the ancestors.
“These ancestors’ journey home has been long-awaited, and is made possible by the mutual agreement of the Museum and the Austrian government.”
“This historic repatriation helps to reconcile the colonial past and opens a new chapter in relationships between Māori, Moriori, and the New Zealand and Austrian governments,” Hakiwai said.
Te Papa’s Acting Head of Repatriation Te Arikirangi Mamaku-Ironside has worked closely with colleagues in Austria.
“The Natural History Museum, Vienna has made a profound commitment to right the wrongs of the past, and approached this work with a spirit of openness and reconciliation.”
Mr Mamaku-Ironside said there was still work to do. “While we’ve seen an increase in conversations about repatriating human remains, there is still a lot of work to do to bring all our ancestors home,” Mamaku-Ironside said.
In May 2003, Cabinet agreed that Te Papa should act on behalf of the government for the return of kōiwi/kōimi tangata.
This decision included the approval of operational funding for the repatriation programme. Since its launch, the programme has repatriated almost 800 ancestral remains.
About the remains
The remains include calvaria (skulls without mandibles), craniums, loose mandibles and maxilla fragments. Through examining museum archives and journals, it’s understood most of these ancestors were taken from Rēkohu Wharekauri (Chatham Islands), Whanganui, Ōtautahi Christchurch, Lyttelton, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, and wāhi tapu throughout Te Taitokerau including Whangaroa and Taiharuru.
Further research will be carried out to determine the locations where the ancestors were taken from, and Karanga Aotearoa will work with iwi, hapu and whānau to establish a pathway home for them.
Colonial collectors rarely recorded the origin of the remains they removed, meaning the identity and home of many stolen ancestors may never be known.
Andreas Reischek
Andreas Reischek was an Austrian taxidermist who arrived in New Zealand in 1877 and stayed for 12 years. He was the main collector of human remains from New Zealand.
Sent to Christchurch to help prepare an exhibition at the Canterbury Museum, Reischek was considered a "New Zealand enthusiast", funding himself to stay longer than planned.
He travelled widely throughout the country taking interest in New Zealand’s fauna, animals and indigenous people. He befriended King Tawhiao who allowed him to hunt different species of birds – the first non-Māori to be given this honour.
He later betrayed the King by looting ancestral remains. Reischek’s diaries demonstrate he was acutely aware that stealing Māori remains violated Māori beliefs. He writes about looting from sacred places, evading Māori surveillance and breaking tapu, in spite of being warned about the tapu infringement.
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