Police recruits and staff had a central role as the largest repatriation of human remains to date to New Zealand took place in Wellington last month.
The 59 members of Recruit Wing 288 and staff from the Royal New Zealand Police College (RNZPC) were pallbearers in an emotional ceremony at Te Papa’s Rongomaraeroa Marae on 1 December.
The 107 kōiwi tangata (skeletal remains), toi moko (tattooed preserved heads) and other remains known as the Robley Collection were returned by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, which has held them since 1907.
Superintendent John Price, National Manager Training and Development, says taking part in the ceremony was a humbling and spiritual experience - and a poignant reminder of Police’s guardianship role.
“We were pleased to be part of putting right a wrong,” he says. “We were able to see justice being done and play a small part in assisting this process, in celebrating the return, and remembering.”
The Police members carried the remains into the marae then, after the ceremony, to Te Papa’s secure ‘wahi tapu’ area, where visitors are rarely allowed.
“It gave us great mana to be part of this process,” says John. “It reflected the trust and confidence in Police of the iwi represented there, who were very grateful for Police’s involvement.”
John says the ceremony was an important “living classroom” experience for the recruits, many of whom said it was the highlight of their time at the RNZPC. They graduated the following week.
Police was invited to take part – with just two days’ notice – because of previously established partnerships with Te Papa.
The remains were part of the thriving trade in body parts in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when a tattooed head was said to be worth two muskets.
They will be subject to quarantine, conservation and research before being returned, where possible, to whānau.
Photos: Sergeant Janine Davie, Wellington Police Forensic Imaging