MAORIS WANT STOLEN BODIES BROUGHT BACK

Chronicle (Levin), 17 August 1946, Page 2

MAORIS WANT STOLEN BODIES BROUGHT BACK

-Press Association

By Tciegraph-

WLijLlNtj L'GN, August 1(5. A petifcion asking for Ihe ro tuni to New Zealand of a valuablu collection of Maori objects, including M7 shiills and a numbor of munmtified bodies ; wliich are now in ihe Iniperial Naturul History Museum of Vienna, was pre- j sented to the llouse of heprcsentat ives today by Mr. .T. B. ('otterill (Wanga nuij on bolialf of Ivaureti Tc liuia, of Kihikihi, and 2 ti others. The ju'tilion was iu support of ariother ouc'prcsentcd to the llouse earlier making the same . request. it is alleged that the collectjon. was stolen from the King Oountry by the , Austrian' naturalist, Andreas JJeischck, who visited New Zealand in 1877, and was the lirst white mai) allowed to enter the King Couiitrv after the Maori Wars. In the earlier days the ! bodies of more prominent Maori chiefs : ■were munimified in a sitling position and placed in holes or in troes. These bodies appealed to lieischek as good ■ potential museum pieees, so he bribed two Maoris to takc him to where tliev could bo found. lieischek eventually succccded in removing the bodies to Europe. "This glioulish act was a serious hetrayal of trust by the naturalist liei-s'-hek, and eauscd a deep grievance to the iate Maori King. to t.he chiefs and to the Maori people," said the pefi- i tioners, who asked that the House take j steps to have restitution made to the j Maori people by the retum of the i whole collection to New Zealand.