Repatriation Battle Over Maori Head

I wanted to give you a follow up on this story from last fall.

Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand in Wellington, has been seeking for more than a decade the repatriation of human remains removed from the country by colonial powers in the 19th century. Some thirty institutions in Europe and America have already returned requested collections of bones. But recently one mummified tattooed head of a Maori warrior held in the collection of the Natural History Museum in Rouen, France, since 1875 has become the center of a repatriation debate. The main arguments revolve around two opposing perspectives in regard to defining cultural artifacts and over who can claim an object as part of their cultural identity.

Although the mayor of Rouen has agreed to return the head, the French Ministry of Culture has attempted to stop its return by claiming that it is now more a part of the French national heritage than the original Maori. A second part of the debate rests on whether the tattooed head is classified as "human remains" or as a "work of art". Since some Maori heads were traditionally preserved and kept as trophies, it may be argued that they were transformed into cultural artifacts.

The French culture minister Christine Albanal argues that the mayor's unilateral decision may set a precedent for repatriation of other remains held in French museums. Officials in favor of the return of the head argue that since it is a body part it falls under bioethics laws rather than laws pertaining to the ownership of artworks.

A final judgement on this case from the French courts is expected possibly as soon as this month.