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History — NZ

Museum Board Member Called for Offensive ‘Cave Men’ Display to Go 15 Years Ago

,   and  Good Oil Staff
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STACY SQUIRES/STUFF Dave Brennan, owner of K? Tane M?ori Cultural Experience at Willowbank, represented Ng?i T??huriri runanga and Ng?i Tahu iwi on the Canterbury Museum board 2003-2005.

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A former Canterbury Museum board member said he told the board an exhibit representing moa-hunter Maori was offensive and asked for it to be removed 15 years ago.

Ko Tane Maori Cultural Experience owner Dave Brennan was appointed by his Ngai Tuahuriri runanga and Ngai Tahu iwi to represent them both on the board in 2005. He said he made the views of his rananga and iwi, about the exhibit, known to the board in the same year.

The exhibit, Iwi Ta Whito, Whenua Hou – Ancient People, New Land, opened in 1992 and claims to depict the first people to live in the South Island, moa and other extinct birds from neolithic times, in three dioramas.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Canterbury Museum’s then display manager, Gary Bagot, works on the diaroma in 1992.

“The first impression you get, the minute you look at those, you think you are dealing with pre-historic man, that’s the concept you get,” Brennan said.

Read the article in full here and comment on it on The BFD

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