Tattooed Maori Head - Body Part or Art? - General Tiki

I ikitnrev Tiki Socialite D.C. / Virginia Joined: Jul 27, 2002 Posts: 1325	I ikitnrev Posted posted on Wed, Nov 14, 2007 4:03 PM The New York Times last month had an intriguing article, about the French government's attempts to decide whether a 130 year-old Tattooed Maori head currently held in the Museum of Natural History is a body part, and should be returned to New Zealand for burial, or whether it is a work of art, and should be kept in the museum. No pictures of the Maori head are shown in the article - just a drawing, which looks remarkedly like a Benzart carving. some excerpts from the article ...... " The Maoris traditionally preserved the tattooed heads of warriors killed in battle to keep their memory alive. Trade in body parts flourished in the 19th century, as contact with outsiders increased. Europeans collected Maori remains. Tattooed Maori fighters sometimes were in danger of being killed so their heads could be sold. Some Maori slaves were forcibly tattooed, then decapitated." "The American Museum of Natural History in New York has more than 30 Maori heads." Read the full article here ..... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/world/europe/26france.html

The New York Times last month had an intriguing article, about the French government's attempts to decide whether a 130 year-old Tattooed Maori head currently held in the Museum of Natural History is a body part, and should be returned to New Zealand for burial, or whether it is a work of art, and should be kept in the museum.

No pictures of the Maori head are shown in the article - just a drawing, which looks remarkedly like a Benzart carving.

some excerpts from the article ......

" The Maoris traditionally preserved the tattooed heads of warriors killed in battle to keep their memory alive. Trade in body parts flourished in the 19th century, as contact with outsiders increased. Europeans collected Maori remains. Tattooed Maori fighters sometimes were in danger of being killed so their heads could be sold. Some Maori slaves were forcibly tattooed, then decapitated."

"The American Museum of Natural History in New York has more than 30 Maori heads."

Read the full article here .....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/world/europe/26france.html

Post #343902 by ikitnrev on Wed, Nov 14, 2007 4:03 PM