Tū te Whaihanga - A Recognition of Creative Genius

Sacred taonga that left the shores of Te Tairāwhiti 250 years ago have returned home for a year – long exhibition at Tairāwhiti Museum.

Tū te Whaihanga is the result of the determination by Tairāwhiti iwi for the taonga to return to reconnect with their descendants, to reclaim the knowledge they hold, and to sustain their legacy.

The 37 taonga in Tū te Whaihanga include some of those which left on board the HMS Endeavour, after its first voyage to Aotearoa in October 1769. The taonga include eight painted hoe paddles, traded and gifted at sea off Whareongaonga (south of Tūranganui-a-Kiwa) on October 12, 1769, and Te Poupou o Hinematioro from her whare on Te Pourewa Island on October 28, 1769. Other taonga include rākau (weapons), kākahu (cloaks), tātua (belts), whakairo (carvings) and adornments.

This project has been led by Hei Kanohi Ora Iwi Governance Group, which is made up of tangata whenua of Tūranganui-a-Kiwa and Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti and has been developed in partnership with Tairāwhiti Museum with the support of Eastland Community Trust, Te Puna Tahua Lottery Grants Board and Air New Zealand.

The taonga that have returned for the exhibition are from The British Museum; Pitt Rivers Museum University of Oxford; University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology; Great North Museum: Hancock and Tübingen University Museum, Germany.