Ko Titokowaru: te poupou rangatira Titokowaru: a carved panel of the Taranaki leader: Tuhinga 25

Tuhinga 25: 16-24

ABSTRACT: In 1905, Augustus Hamilton, the director of the Colonial Museum (now the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, or Te Papa), bought for the museum a carved poupou (panel) that depicted Taranaki rangatira (chief ) Tītokowaru, which he acquired from his friend Henry Hill, a Napier educator and collector. Around 1953, this poupou was loaned to the Department of External Affairs for display at the newly opened New Zealand Embassy in Paris, France. The poupou remained in Paris until recently, when research in 2012 revealed its whereabouts, and ensuing discussions allowed its return to Aotearoa New Zealand. This paper documents the history and initial acquisition of the Tītokowaru poupou for the museum collections, its loan to Paris, and its subsequent return to Te Papa in October 2013.

KEYWORDS: Riwha Tītokowaru, poupou (carved panel), tā moko (tattoo), Māori, rangatira (leader), Te Papa, National Museum, Dominion Museum, Paris Embassy, Augustus Hamilton, Henry Hill, East Coast, Taranaki, France, New Zealand..