Story: Māori and museums – ngā whare taonga

Main hall of the Dominion Museum, 1910

Main hall of the Dominion Museum, 1910

Māori taonga are displayed alongside geological and biological specimens in the main hall of the Dominion Museum in Wellington, in 1910. At this time museums still depicted Māori as a declining noble race, but ideas from anthropological science were gaining influence. Little attention was paid to the way Māori themselves regarded their taonga.

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How to cite this page:

Paora Tapsell, 'Māori and museums – ngā whare taonga - Māori treasures and European museums', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/44074/main-hall-of-the-dominion-museum-1910 (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Paora Tapsell, published 22 Oct 2014