Ngāti Whakaue descendants of Pūkākī welcome the carved taonga home to Te Papa-i-Ouru marae in Rotorua, in 1997. Pūkākī had been given to the Crown in 1877 as part of an agreement that was supposed to protect Ngāti Whakaue lands when the town of Rotorua was established. The lands were mostly lost, while Pūkākī ended up in the Auckland Museum. A 1997 agreement recognised Ngāti Whakaue as kaitiaki (guardians) of Pūkākī. The taonga was regifted to the Crown and placed permanently in the Rotorua District Council offices.
Using this item
Private collection, Paul Tapsell
Photograph by Hamish Macdonald
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