Story: Anthropology and archaeology

Recording a Māori speaker, 1923

Recording a Māori speaker, 1923

Ethnologists Elsdon Best (third from left), Johannes Andersen (left) and Hēnare Balneavis (second from left) record an unidentified Māori speaker at the Dominion Museum in 1923. The recording is being made on an Edison cylinder. The photographer was James McDonald, who also took photos and film footage of Māori during museum field expeditions. New technologies for recording sound and images greatly assisted anthropological studies.

Using this item

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Reference: MA_I173858
Photograph by James McDonald

Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Peter Clayworth, 'Anthropology and archaeology - ‘Salvage anthropology’ and the birth of professionalism', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/44414/recording-a-maori-speaker-1923 (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Peter Clayworth, published 22 Oct 2014