Remembering Te Māori
Forty years ago, the groundbreaking Te Māori exhibition put Māori culture and taonga on the world stage in a way that had never been done before.
Opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1984, the exhibition featured 174 taonga from museums and iwi across Aotearoa, and drew over 70,000 visitors in its first week alone. As it toured four U.S. cities, it wasn’t just the artifacts that traveled — Māori representatives accompanied the taonga at every stop, ensuring their stories were told with cultural integrity and respect.
Credit Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade | Opening of Te Māori Exhibition, New York, 10th October 1984.
Te Māori was more than just an art exhibit; it was a turning point for museums globally in how they approached indigenous cultural artifacts. It shifted the focus from viewing these objects as relics of the past to recognising them as living embodiments of cultural identity. It showed the world the beauty of Māori history and craftsmanship, while also marking a critical reclamation of Māori voices and narratives in the process.
Te Māori exhibition banner at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 1984.
Credit: TVNZ
For the first time, Māori were leading the conversations around their own heritage on a global platform. This was not just a showcase of art; it was a bold statement of Māori identity and self-determination. The mana and richness of our culture were on full display for the world to see, on our terms.
After its successful run at The Met in New York, followed by exhibitions at the Saint Louis Art Museum, the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco, and the Field Museum in Chicago between 1984 and 1986, Te Māori returned to Aotearoa in 1987.
Rebranded as Te Māori: Te Hokinga Mai, it was proudly presented in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin.
This photograph shows exhibition staff at the Auckland City Art Gallery just before its opening there. Credit: Te Ara
This week, the Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trustees hosted a remarkable two-day wānanga at the beautiful Waiwhetū Marae, gathering to commemorate the significant milestone of 40 years since the opening of Te Māori. This event served as an opportunity not only to explore the profound legacy of the exhibition but also to reflect on cherished memories and experiences from that transformative period.
Carousel of images captured from the Āti Awa Toa Livestream
Additionally, it inspired kōrero around the promising future of Māori art and cultural expression.
This gathering stands as a powerful reminder that the stories and taonga shared four decades ago continue to resonate deeply, shaping the creative path for future generations of artists and guardians of our cherished culture.
