Maori Stereotypes, Governmental Policies and Maori Art in Museums Today

Book excerpt: Maori art in New Zealand museums has a long history extending back to the first contacts made between Maori (New Zealand's Native peoples) and Europeans. The Europeans settled in New Zealand with a colonialist attitude, leading to the notion that the Maori people would soon be extinct. This promoted the vigorous collection of various samples of Maori material culture. Museums were then established to store these artefacts. Governmental policies dating back to the turn of the century, gradually influenced the ways in which museums dealt with these Maori holdings. The current situation in New Zealand, particularly at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is largely a reaction to the past. Maori people are demanding that they have more say in the treatment of their taonga (treasures). Slowly, through decades of debate and reworking of policies, new standards are developing for the ways in which New Zealand museums collect and exhibit Maori art. This on-going process is a result of the enhanced sense of empowerment of Maori people in New Zealand today. Art educators in museums and schools can look to museums such as Te Papa Tongarewa for inspiration and guidance.