Māori Kiwi Feather Cloak Returns to New Zealand After Time in British Museum

A ceremony took place to mark the repatriation of a Māori kiwi feather cloak to New Zealand from a British museum, according to the BBC UK. The kahu kiwi was originally given as a parting gift by Māori leaders in 1900 to Dr. George Cleghorn, a physician who was working in New Zealand at that time. In 1913, Cleghorn's widow loaned the cloak to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. The charity that financed the return, the Homebound Project, stated that the cloak seemed to be longing to return home.

Dr. Lorraine Eade, who chairs the Ngāti Rārua o Te Wairau Society and is the current owner of the item, expressed that its importance was beyond measure. She also mentioned that the return provided a chance to recognize the work Dr. Cleghorn did for Māori people. The Pitt Rivers Museum noted that the doctor had advocated for the right of Māori to access local hospitals rather than needing to travel to distant locations for medical care, and he also spent time educating families in their homes about the importance of public health measures.

Shane Graham, the chief executive of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rārua, a Māori authority, described the return as a significant event. He stated that it upholds mana, or prestige, and honors the deep emotional and cultural meaning of the living connection to this taonga, or treasure. Prof. Laura Van Broekhoven, the director of the Pitt Rivers Museum, commented that they were very pleased that the time had arrived for the Kahu Kiwi to come back home. Prior to the return, a ceremony was held in Oxford to mark the cloak's departure.