Doll, Māori

This doll, in traditional Maori style dress, was made under licence in New Zealand by Pedigree in the 1960s. These types of dolls were made for children but also as tourist souvenirs.

The doll is in very good condition especially considering it has travelled around the world. It even has its original plastic tiki. It was only ever played with when the family were travelling, at other times it was packed away for safe keeping.

The doll was given to Lynn Hyde (née Everitt), in 1961 when she was 8 years old, by her parents. Lynn took the doll with her, as a reminder of home, when she travelled to America and then Britain with her parents. They began their journey by travelling by ship on the Southern Cross from Auckland to Miami. They then flew to New York and then on to London. When disembarking in New York an American couple stopped them and admired the doll saying 'oh what a cute little Indian doll'. A conversation about the doll's Maori origins sparked a friendship that lasted a lifetime. The families stayed in touch over many years, the American family came on holiday to New Zealand, and years later Lynn visited them when on her Big OE.

When Lynn donated the doll she said that she hoped the doll and her story would inspire others to approach strangers with the 'spirit of friendship and generosity' she and her family encountered and that they will be rewarded with a lifelong treasure-trove of memories like these families were.

The doll is good example of the way many New Zealanders include Maori culture as part of their New Zealand - Kiwi identity, especially when away from home. Lynn's mother and father were originally from England but her mother was particularly interested in Maori culture, this being one of the reasons why she purchased the doll.