French block return of Maori head : "Donated by a French collector in 1875, the head has been held since then in a museum in the western city of Rouen, which decided last year to return it as an “ethical gesture of respect” for the Maori people."
Maybe if we shoved the heads of your parents, grandparents, great great grandparents in our museum cupboards you'd like it. I cannot believe the museum knew what it was doing and demonstrating its enlightenment only to be blocked by the cultural ministry. The head is a part of N ew Zealand's cultural heritage not France's...and this from a country which has done so much to promote the indigenous cultures and their heritage. You cannot keep body bits. They need to be with their families and with their people. I hope Te Papa Tongarewa will continue to try and repatriate whoever this might be.
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