DOI: 10.3897/tuhinga.37.158083

Authors: Paige Gleeson, Safua Akeli Amaama

Abstract: In 2022, a collections-survey project commenced at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa), to explore and contextualise the museum’s Australian First Nations collection. Although such collections are held in Aotearoa New Zealand metropolitan museums (including in Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin), they have been little considered. This research project considers the potential of a comparative trans-Tasman approach to research into the collection and display of material deemed ethnographic by colonial era collectors in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Local comparisons of histories of display and collection in Australasia will be explored, as will inter-colonial networks of material and cultural exchange that draw attention to historic connections between Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Significantly, this is an important initial survey to explore how the Australian First Nations collections came to Te Papa, with the aim of raising awareness of the collection and providing a basis for future community engagement.

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DOI: 10.3897/tuhinga.37.165179

Authors: B. Foss Leach

Abstract: Modern specimens (N = 165) of albacore, Thunnus alalunga, were collected and 18 measurements made on cranial bones and an element of the caudal peduncle. Allometric equations were calculated to facilitate the reconstruction of live fork length from archaeological bones. Modern fisheries trawl data of albacore, bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), and skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) provided data for equations linking live fork length to body weight for each species. Examination of power curve fits between bone dimension and fork length for 12 unrelated species showed that most conform to a single growth curve, with specialised small-mouthed browsing species as outliers. The curves of three species within one family were effectively co-linear. Since the cranial anatomy of different species of scombrids is notoriously difficult to identify to species, it was hypothesised that the allometric curve for albacore might therefore be suitable for estimating fork length from archaeological bones of the three other species. Scombrid bones from four archaeological sites (Te Ana Pua, Fa’ahia, Hane and Motupore) were measured and live fork lengths estimated. Size-frequency histograms showed ancient catches of the first three were dominated by skipjack, with very few yellowfin and albacore. By contrast, at Motupore, most fish were a larger species, probably yellowfin. Total live body weight was estimated and found to be similar at each site (265 to 374 kg). When meat weights were calculated and nutrient composition evaluated, the overall MNR was found to be 60:38:2. The slightly elevated value of carbohydrate is due to glycogen reserves in tuna white muscle.

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DOI: 10.3897/tuhinga.36.166001

Authors: Victoria Munn

Abstract: This article explores the summer that New Zealand artists Dorothy K. Richmond and Frances Hodgkins spent in the Dutch artist colony of Rijsoord in 1903. Drawing on visual and archival evidence, it positions “Wilhelmina”, an oil painting recently acquired by Te Papa, as a product of Richmond’s stay in Rijsoord and sheds light on the social, cultural and artistic context in which it was painted. With reference to traditional Dutch dress, I interpret the painting as evidence of Richmond’s engagement with South Holland culture and daily village life. Moreover, by highlighting connections in composition and subject matter between “Wilhelmina” and select works by Frances Hodgkins, I argue that “Wilhelmina” visualises the fruitful artistic cross-pollination between Richmond and Hodgkins in the early years of the twentieth century.

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DOI: 10.3897/tuhinga.36.135525

Authors: B. Foss Leach, Janet M. Davidson, Melinda S. Allen

Abstract: A species of fish, Odax pullus, predominantly vegetarian, common in weedy marine zones in New Zealand, is the subject of this paper. The species is primarily caught by setting gill nets today, and seldom takes a baited hook. It has variable abundance in archaeological sites, more commonly in higher latitudes. It is very rich in iodine, and is useful in preventing goitre, since the element is low in New Zealand soils. It has very low levels of unsaturated fatty acids and low levels of omega 3 lipids. Modern specimens were collected and cranial bones extracted and measured to establish equations to back-calculate fork length (FL) and ungutted weight (BWT). Power curves were fitted, and constants provided to enable live characteristics to be estimated from archaeological bones. Bones from nine archaeological sites were studied and FL and BWT estimated. Length-frequency distributions were mostly non-normal, suggesting more than one method of capture, possibly set nets or hoop nets with different mesh size. The modern practice of only eating the fillet harvests only 34% of nutrients, with a MNR of 89:10:1. Ethnohistorical observations suggest more than the fillet was formerly eaten, especially fat-rich components. We estimate a MNR of 78:21:1 was more likely if some of the head, viscera and skin was eaten. In southern latitudes, where carbohydrate-rich foods were in shorter supply, harvesting these fat-rich parts was a sensible survival strategy. The archaeological catches show 20–45% were fecund individuals, below modern legal size. This is consistent with other marine species from archaeological sites.

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DOI: 10.3897/tuhinga.35.127170

Authors: Peter Stupples

Abstract: The National Gallery of New Zealand appointed two representatives in London from the 1950s to the 1970s, of which the second was Mary Chamot. She recommended and purchased works of British and European art that enriched to collection that became part of The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. This paper is both a history and an appreciation of the contribution Chamot made to that collection.

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DOI: 10.3897/tuhinga.35.132206

Authors: Safua Akeli Amaama

Abstract: Exhibition Review: Connections across the Coral Sea: a story of movement

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DOI: 10.3897/tuhinga.34.107369

Authors: Rosanne J. Livingstone

Abstract: Te Papa holds a collection of 17 textile fragments acquired in 1914 from the Egypt Exploration Fund. These fragments were excavated from the site of Antinoopolis in Egypt during the 1913–1914 season of fieldwork, carried out under the direction of John de Monins Johnson. They derive from items of dress and soft furnishings dating from the first millennium CE (the Roman Period and Early Arabic Period in Egypt). The objectives of this study were to identify the original textiles that the fragments derive from and their dates of manufacture and use, all within the context of the story of Antinoopolis. As part of the study, the textile fragments were examined according to standard modern practice. The study was carried out as an extension of recent work undertaken by institutions in the United Kingdom in particular the Whitworth Art Gallery, on the textiles recovered from Johnson’s excavation, most of which are held in collections in the United Kingdom. The Te Papa study is significant in that it adds to this body of work. In addition, the collection is a valuable resource for education and research.

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DOI: 10.3897/tuhinga.34.106520

Authors: Courtney Powell, Safua Akeli Amaama

Abstract: Te Papa Museum’s International History Collection comprises about 6,000 collection items, around 1,000 of which are associated with South Africa. This article provides a brief overview of the development of the collection. The authors also present a small study of the collection, focusing on provenance details of acquisitions, objects and key historical events. The article traces important historical connections between South Africa and New Zealand in the 19th century to contextualise the objects held in Te Papa’s collection. It introduces the 2021 project undertaken to increase public awareness of Te Papa’s South Africa collection. Five significant donors and their contribution to the museum are explored, as well as a further two objects of unknown provenance to direct future aims of building international institutional relationships.

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