Story: Cultural go-betweens

Elsdon Best in the Urewera

This is Elsdon Best's road inspector's camp at Te Whāiti in the Urewera, in 1896. From left to right are Best, Tūhoe chief Tūtakangahau, who was Best's informant on tribal traditions, and friends C. Turner, Mr and Mrs Manson, Te Kura and A. Cross. Best took the job of inspector during some of the first road-making projects in the Urewera, partly to study the local Tūhoe people and their history and customs. He later worked at the Dominion Museum in Wellington and wrote many books on his findings.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Elsdon Best Collection
Reference: POColl-4249-02

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Mark Derby, 'Cultural go-betweens - Artistic and academic go-betweens', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/zoomify/26805/elsdon-best-in-the-urewera (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Mark Derby, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 22 May 2018