RIHA Journal 0194 | 20 July 2018 Curios and Taonga: Early Māori Collections in Berlin and Their Representation in the Museum für Völkerkunde no! Ethnologisches Museum" Markus #chindlbeck %$stract This article gives an overview of the very early collections of !ori artefacts in "erlin# These enco$%ass the collections asse$&le' &y Johann Reinhol' an' (eorg )orster an' others on the fa$ous voyages of Ja$es *oo+ to the ,outh ,eas at the en' of the eighteenth century, &ut also o&.ects collecte' &y the /orth A$erican ca%tain Ha'loc+ at the &eginning of the nineteenth century# 0ater a wi'e range of (er$an visitors re%orte' fro$ their tours through /ew 1ealan' an' &rought &ac+ artefacts an' %hotogra%hs# This %a%er %oints out the %rovenances of the core areas of the !ori collection in "erlin an' retraces so$e shifts in the collecting %ractices as well as in the $useu$ installations# It will &e shown how the %erce%tion an' evaluation of these o&.ects change' an' how they &eca$e sym&ols of i'entity in the course of the nineteenth an' twentieth century. Contents Intro'uction The Early Paci4c / M!ori O&.ects in Berlin The Paci4c / M!ori Collections in Berlin in the Secon' Half of the Nineteenth *entury The Re%resentation of M!ori Art in the Museu$’s Early Exhi&ition Gui'es *onclusion Intro'uction 91: The history of anthro%ological collections has always constitute' a $a.or 4el' of $useology research# However- in the course of the last ten years or so- scholars have co$e to focus their attention once again on the issue of the %rovenance of o&.ects# In (er$any, the reconstruction of the "erlin 3alace in the city centre of the ca%ital- 'esigne' to inclu'e the ethnogra%hic an' Asian art collections- has le' to a heate' 'e&ate a&out (er$an colonialis$#1 In a''ition- 1 This 'e&ate is $anifeste' %articularly in the foun'ing of a grou% na$e' ;/o Hu$&ol't 21< that 'e$an's to ;,TO3 TH2 30A//2= *6/,TR>*TI6/ 6) TH2 H> "60DT )6R> I/ TH2 "2R0I/ 3A0A*2?< (see htt%A55www#noBhu$&ol't21#'e5resolution5english5C accesse' 10 RIHA Journal 0194 | 20 July 2018 reDuests fro$ /a$i&ia an' Australia for hu$an re$ains to &e returne' have renewe' 'iscussions a&out collecting %olicies in colonial ti$es# Research con'ucte' $ainly on the %rovenance of 2uro%ean %aintings in view of Jewish clai$s to ownershi% has &een exten'e' to consi'er also the acDuisition %olicies of (er$an ethnogra%hic $useu$s 'uring the 1930s# Thus- the %ostcolonial 'e&ate which ha' %reviously &een focuse' on anthro%ology as a 'isci%line is now a''itionally concerne' with the controversies surroun'ing ethnogra%hic $useu$s an' their soBcalle' colonial collections# useu$s li+e those in ,tuttgart or "erlin have &egun to organiFe wor+sho%s an' %ro.ects on the %rovenance of o&.ects collecte' 'uring the colonial %erio'# However- the circu$stances in which such o&.ects have &een collecte' are $ultiBlayere' an' co$%le8- an' sources are often scarce or diGcult to i'entify# 92: The following account2 gives an overview of how the early !ori collections to'ay house' in the 2thnologisches useu$ in "erlin were asse$&le'- an' how they were %resente' to the general %u&lic over the 'eca'es# He 'o not +now the nu$&ers of visitors- an' we have little infor$ation a&out the i$%ressions these o&.ects $a'e on the$# Hhat is certain- however- is that they have a long history of 'is%lay in very 'iIerent &uil'ings an' locations in "erlin# /ot all of these taonga- as they are calle' to'ay &y !ori the$selves- are still in the 2thnologisches useu$A so$e were lost 'uring the ,econ' Horl' Har or were sol' or e8change' with other institutions or art 'ealers- $ainly in the 1920s an' 1930s# 9E: The !ori collection is one of the s$allest within the 3aci4c =e%art$ent of the 2thnologisches useu$# /evertheless- the interest shown in ethnogra%hic o&.ects fro$ /ew 1ealan' 'uring the nineteenth an' early twentieth century was consi'era&le# In the %er$anent e8hi&ition which o%ene' in 1926, for exa$%le- so$e 110 ite$s fro$ /ew 1ealan' were %resente' to the %u&lic# Hhen last inventorie' in 1998, EKK o&.ects were classi4e' as &elonging to /ew 1ealan'- 52 o&.ects were $issing- an' 28 o&.ects ha' &een e8change' or sol'# Two are recor'e' as having &een 'estroye' &y insects# This $a+es a total of so$e 430 o&.ects that originally arrive' in "erlin- which is not $uch co$%are' with other collections hel' in $useu$s in "ritain an' in the >nite' ,tates- Australia an' /ew Zealan'. arch 2018L# The Hu$&ol't )oru$7s we&site is a reaction to such 'e&ates: htt%s:55www#hu$&ol'tforu$#co$5en5stories/a-siteBofB'e&ate5 (accesse' 10 arch 2018L# The $e'ia 'e&ate is su$$ariFe' in an article &y (ero ,chliess, ;Is "erlinMs Hu$&ol't )oru$ ,hying Away fro$ *olonial HistoryN< @14#08#201OL- see htt%A55www#'w#co$5en5is- &erlins-hu$&ol't-foru$Bshying-awayBfro$Bcolonial-history5aB400822E4 (accesse' 10 arch 2018L# 2 A shorter initial version of this %a%er was %resente' at the "Taonga !ori *onferenceP hel' at the /ational useu$ in Hellington in 1990- seeA ar+us ,chin'l&ec+- ;6n the History of the aori *ollection in the useu$ fQr RSl+er+un'e- "erlin<- inA 3a%ers of Taonga aori *onference# /ew 1ealan' 18-2O /ove$&er 1990- e'# *ultural *onservation A'visory *ouncil# =e%art$ent of Internal AIairs, Hellington 1991# RIHA Journal 0194 | 20 July 2018 94: The $ost outstan'ing !ori collection in (er$any in res%ect of its age an' history is hol' &y the 2thnological *ollection of the >niversity of (SttingenA the soBcalle' *oo+5)orster *ollection re%resents the $ost co$%rehensive accu$ulation of eighteenthBcentury cultural an' artistic creations fro$ the ,outh ,eas# Another highlight of !ori art in (er$an ethnogra%hic $useu$s is the Rauru $eeting house in the useu$ fQr RSl+er+un'e in Ha$&urg# The ethnogra%hic collections in 0ei%Fig- unich an' ,tuttgart li+ewise contain signi4cant- though s$aller collections of !ori art# The collection in "erlin is re$ar+a&le &ecause of its te$%oral 'e%th as well as its outstan'ing %ieces of conte$%orary artC a$ong these are wor+s &y the fa$ous !ori artists *liI Hhiting, Lisa Reihana- John Bevan For', Cath Brown an' Darcy Nicholas# The Early 3acifc 5 !ori 6&jects in "erlin 9K: The 4rst artifacts of 3aci4c cultures in "erlin collections go &ac+ to the %erio' of Ja$es *oo+ an' Johann Reinhol' Forster who, with his son (eorge, partici%ate' in *oo+’s secon' voyage to the ,outh ,eas in 1772-1775. Although nu$erous articles an' &oo+s have &een %u&lishe' in recent 'eca'es on the collections of Ja$es *oo+ an' his co$%anions- the o&.ects in "erlin that are attri&ute' to *oo+ an' )orster have never receive' a'eDuate attention fro$ ethnogra%hers# It is re$ar+a&le that- of all the curators who have wor+e' with the collection- such as )eli8 von 0uschan- August 2ichhorn- Hans /ever$ann an' (er' Toch- none sought to 'ocu$ent this early collection- which was so %ree$inent 'uring the early %erio' of the $useu$# *ertainly, the relative scarcity of relia&le 'ocu$ents was one reason#E =es%ite this- the great i$%ortance of these early collections in the eyes of their conte$%oraries is $anifeste' in a few early %u&lications as well as in the i$%act they ha' on later collecting activities un'erta+en &y the $useu$# 9J: =uring 1802 several o&.ects fro$ the 3aci4c were &ought &y the %recursor of the 2thnologisches useu$- the soBcalle' Tunst+a$$er# >nfortunately, we 'o not +now the exact i'entity of these o&.ects- only that so$e of the$ originate' fro$ /ew 1ealan' an' that they were %art of the collections $a'e 'uring the voyages un'erta+en &y *oo+- whose fa$e was wi'es%rea' at that ti$e# The %erson res%onsi&le for the collection was John (or JeanL Henry (1761B1831), a refugee fro$ )rance who wor+e' as a %rotestant clergyman in "erlin an' later as a li&rarian an' 'irector of the 3russian Tunst+a$$er fro$ 1794 to 1829.4 In 1805 he co$%ile' a &rief inventory of the Tunst+a$$er- inclu'ing a s%ecial cha%ter on E This situation le' one of the $ost wellBknown researchers of 3olynesian artefacts, A'rienne Tae%%ler- to have general 'ou&ts a&out the %rovenance of the o&.ects attri&ute' to )orster in the $useu$ inventory &ecause so$e of the$ originate' fro$ islan's not visite' 'uring the secon' *oo+ voyage# To'ay- however- we know that the e8change of o&.ects a$ong the 3acifc islan's was alrea'y wi'esprea' in earlier ti$es# *f# "rigitta HauserB,chUu&lin an' *hristian )# )eest- e's.- Ja$es *oo+# (ifts an' Treasures fro$ the ,outh ,eas. The *oo+5)orster *ollection (Sttingen- unich an' /ew Vork 1998# 4 Holfgang Dah$en et al#- e's.- Das )ranFSsische in 'en 'eutschs%rachigen 0Un'ernA Ro$anistisches TolloDuiu$ RII- TQ&ingen 199EC 2va (iloi- onarchy- yth- an' aterial *ulture in (er$any 1OK0-19K0- *a$&ri'ge 2011# RIHA Journal 0194 | 20 July 2018 the o&.ects fro$ overseas# These were locate' in a se%arate roo$ in the 3russian %alace in the center of "erlin#K =ue to the occu%ation of "erlin &y /a%oleonMs troo%s- a nu$&er of ethnogra%hic o&.ects fro$ this early %erio' were ta+en to 3arisC nothing is known a&out their further wherea&outs.