Maori head, Rouen Museum, restitution, New Zealand, cultural heritage, repatriation, bioethics law, Te Papa Museum, Oceanian collection
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Abstract
The Rouen Museum of Natural History restituted a Maori head to New Zealand in 2011, following a law passed in 2010.
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[...] For about a generation, New Zealand has been asking each country holding the Mokomokai their restitution, in particular to France. Part The Demand for the Restitution of the Maori Head from the Rouen Museum: Genesis of a Global Restitution Acquisition of the Maori Head Part from the Rouen Museum of Natural History and its Rediscovery The Maori Head It was a donation to the museum of Mr. Drouet in 1875 and was added to the Oceanian collection of the museum. [...]
[...] It was on October that the municipal council of Rouen authorized the restitution of the Maori head in the name of the bioethics law relating to respect for the human body. But, at the request of the Ministry of Culture, this request was cancelled because this property belongs to a museum in France and is therefore inalienable in the eyes of French legislation. In addition, the municipal council had overstepped its rights by requesting the declassification of the head without going through a scientific council. [...]
[...] The return by France of the M?ori heads to New ZealandSocio-anthropology [Online] 2014, published online on June accessed on October URL: http://journals.openedition.org/socio-anthropologie/2345; DOI: 10.4000/socio-anthropologie.2345 - NatachaGagné, « Affirmation and decolonization: the repatriation ceremony by France of thetoi moko to New Zealand in perspective,Journal of the Society of Oceanists [Online] 1st semester 2012, published online on July accessed on October URL: http://journals.openedition.org/jso/6674; DOI: 10.4000/jso.6674 - PhilippePeltier and MagaliMélandri, « Chronology concerning the tattooed and mummified M?ori heads ortoi moko (also known asmoko mokai) », Journal of the Oceanists Society [Online], 134 1st semester 2012, published online on July accessed on October URL: http://journals.openedition.org/jso/6638; DOI: 10.4000/jso.6638 -Cecile Dumas, 'Moorish Head: The Underpinnings of a Digitization', Sciences and Future, 17/05/2011. Available online: https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/archeo-paleo/tete-maorie-les-dessous-d-une-numerisation_21357 -Public Senate Video: The Maori Heads: The Right to Return - Review of . (07/12/2011). [...]
[...] Thus, in the principle of human dignity and respect for the cultures and beliefs of a living people, the parliament voted in 2010 a law (known as law n°2010-501 of May 18, 2010) so that all Maori heads found in French museums cease to be part of their collections and are unconditionally returned to New Zealand. Part The modalities for the restitution of all Maori heads present in France For the case of the Mokomokai of Rouen, the desire to keep a record of this head led to a reflection by the museum's management. In fact, photography is forbidden by the Maoris because it can trap the soul of the deceased. The drawing being too imperfect and subjective, the solution was to use digitization to model the head, which is not real by principle. [...]
[...] The goal is to determine the origin of each head as well as their particularities based on the tattoos and their creation. Thus, if we take the work on the Maori head from Rouen, the information collected by the team was shared with the Rouen Museum, which was able to incorporate it into its exhibition. To quote the director of the Rouen Museum at the time, Sébastien Minchin: . ) the 3D modeling, the scale study, the study of the tattoos and the information they provide us will be more important than the head itself". [...]
