The Charité hospital in Berlin returned the skulls of 109 Maori and Moriori people taken to Germany more than 100 years ago. The remains were handed over to New Zealand's national museum in a ceremony.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Carstensen
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The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa received the remains of more than 100 members of the country's indigenous community in a ceremony in Berlin on Monday.
The skeletons and skulls were taken from graves of indigenous Maori and Moriori men and women — the indigenous people of the Chatham Islands — in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A spokesman for the Berlin museum said the remains were probably taken against the will of the indigenous communities and brought to the German capital.
"Right from the start it was wrong to assume that there were hierarchies among peoples," Charité superintendent Axel Radlach Pries said. The museum's director, Thomas Schnalke, said the Charité was acknowledging ethically responsible scientific principles in returning the remains.
Arapata Hakiwai, from the Te Papa museum, and Maui Solomon, who led a delegation from the Moriori community, said the links with their forefathers made it a duty to take their remains home.
Hakiwai said that by repatriating the remains of indigenous people, it is now possible to close "a very dark chapter in our history."
Maori and Moriori family members marked the return with prayers and traditional songs of their forefathers. The Te Papa museum had officially requested the return of the remains in 2010.
10 must-see museums in Munich
After Berlin, Munich is the most visited city in Germany. The attractions of the Bavarian metropolis include the Hofbräuhaus, the Oktoberfest and numerous museums. Join us on a tour of museums in the city.
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Deutsches Museum
About 1.5 million visitors a year come here to learn more about technology and science, from astronomy to time measurement. The main building of the world's largest technology museum is located on the Museum Island, a former gravel bank of the Isar river.
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Pinakothek der Moderne
The most important location for the museums in Munich is the Kunstareal. Among the 16 museums there is the Pinakothek der Moderne. Its collection focuses on 20th and 21st century art. The adjacent houses Alte Pinakothek and Neue Pinakothek show paintings from earlier centuries.
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Lenbachhaus
The Lenbachhaus is also part of the Kunstareal. In the former villa of painter Franz von Lenbach and a modern extension, visitors will find works by Munich painters, art by the Blue Rider and the New Objectivity movements.
Image: picture-alliance/P. Wallner
Brandhorst Museum
The Brandhorst Museum is a real eye-catcher. The façade consists of 36,000 ceramic surfaces, which are coated in 23 colors. The building houses the Brandhorst couple's collection and sees itself as a complement to the Pinakothek der Moderne. Here you can admire important works by Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly.
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State Collections of Antiquities
The State Collections of Antiquities on Königsplatz bears witness to the Bavarian rulers' passion for collecting art. King Ludwig I not only commissioned the building in the style of a Corinthian temple, he also had excavation treasures from Greece and Italy brought to Munich.
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Haus der Kunst
The Haus der Kunst (Art House) in the English Garden does not house any permanent collections, but serves as an exhibition venue for contemporary and modern art. The neoclassical landmark building was erected by Adolf Hitler between 1933 and 1937 and was one of the first major building projects of the National Socialists.
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Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism
The youngest museum in Munich is the Documentation Center, which opened in 2015. Until it was destroyed in World War II, the Brown House, the party headquarters of the Nazi party, NSDAP, was located on the same site. The Documentation Center is primarily concerned with Munich's role in the rise of the National Socialists.
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Jewish Museum and Synagogue
The Jewish Museum (left) is next to the central synagogue (right), located in the Jewish Center in Munich's Old Town. In addition to the permanent exhibition on the history of Jews in Munich, there are also temporary exhibitions on topics such as looted art and encounters with witnesses who survived the Holocaust.
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Munich Stadtmuseum
Opposite the Jewish Museum you will find the Munich Stadtmuseum (City Museum) in the former armory (left). The three-story museum provides information from Henry the Lion to the Allianz Arena soccer stadium. The Film Museum (right) is also part of the Stadtmuseum, which regularly screens classic movies.
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BMW Welt
And because Munich is also an important location for carmaking in Germany, it has a dedicated museum. At BMW Welt (BMW World), the Bayerische Motorenwerke display vehicles from their current range, from the Mini to the Rolls-Royce. In the adjacent museum there is a permanent exhibition devoted to 100 years of BMW history.
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Relentless quest
The repatriation program administered by the Te Papa Museum was established and funded in 2003 by the New Zealand government, after it heeded Maori pleas to have their ancestors returned home. Te Papa has since repatriated the ancestral remains of hundreds of Maori and Moriori from overseas institutions.
Over the years, some institutions have show an increasing desire to cooperate. The French government created special legislation in 2011 to allow Maori remains held in its institutions to be returned. Others, however, have been reluctant to relinquish their collections. Temara is hesitant to name these institutions for fear of jeopardizing ongoing negotiations.
Two weeks ago, the remains of 42 indigenous Australians from museums and collections in the German states of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt were returned to the Embassy of Australia.
