KETE MUKA: a bag woven from New Zealand flax (harakeke) incorporating colorful feathers (OTAGO MUSEUM)	FINE EXAMPLE: A bag woven from flax (OTAGO MUSEUM)

An acknowledged expert in the field, Professor Peter Bellwood of the Archaeology and Anthropology Department of the Australian National University, said he thinks the evidence of links between the Chinese and Maori is far stronger than mere possibility.

The current thinking is that, from approximately 4,000 years ago, the Maori migrated from Taiwan to the Philippines before crossing to Hawaiki, the original homeland of the Hawaiians and the Polynesians, and then on to Polynesia before settling south in New Zealand.

Bellwood said Maori origins can be visualized as a population stream going back in time, via China, and ultimately into Africa.

"Technically, Taiwan is the location to which Proto-Austronesian, the oldest reconstructable stage of the language family that includes Maori, can be reconstructed," he said.

But, Bellwood said, "Taiwan was not actually an 'origin' in any abstract sense, but it was a major node in the stream and the first stop off the Chinese mainland."

Life among the Maori

Visitors approach Te Ao Maori through a gateway (waharoa) which was specially created for the exhibition by master carver James York in New Zealand. The gateway, 3 meters high and 4.5 meters wide, was carved from two trees native to New Zealand, kauri and totara. It also features several pieces of crafted jade. On the opening day dignitaries from the Shanghai Museum and Dunedin, plus a crowd of more than 300, were the first visitors to pass through the special arches.

Matapura Ellison, chairperson of the Maori Advisory Committee to the Otago Museum, described the waharoa as an inspirational taonga. This was not only because it was a wonderful addition to the museum's collection, but also because the new work demonstrated the artist's development in working in contemporary modes. The exhibition also includes a short film about the gateway's construction and its meaning.

Clare Wilson, Director of Exhibitions, Development and Planning of the Otago Museum, whose team was mainly responsible for the selection, organization and presentation of the exhibition, said the waharoa was a stunning entrance piece, "setting the stage for an engaging and uplifting visitor experience."

Once they have passed through the gateway visitors are led through an exhibition that chronicles the history of the Maori culture.

Wilson said the show was designed for people with no background knowledge on the Maori, "so the storyline was written to take them from nothing to full understanding." It is an introduction to the culture and mythology of New Zealand's indigenous people. She said it was also important for Maori culture to be seen, not only historically, but in its present and modern form, too.

To that end, the storyline is set up in 10 stages. The first three cover Maori beginnings in Aotearoa (Maori for Land of the Long White Cloud, or New Zealand) and the arrival of the pakeha (white people) and Ngai Tahu (the people of the South). The next six cover the various treasures on display and can be split broadly into three smaller sections. The first concerns those carved from wood, woven from flax threads and wrought from stone. The second—and the area that will probably be of most interest to the Chinese—are two sections covering works in jade, which is further broken down into two sections: A Treasure of Ngai Tahu, and Trading and Transforming. The final two groups include artifacts carved from bone, and Maori art today.

The exhibition features approximately 340 Maori artifacts from the Otago Museum. The treasures for the show were carefully selected by representatives of the New Zealand museum's Maori Advisory Committee to reflect traditional and contemporary aspects of Maori culture.

The taonga include jade, neck pendants hei tiki, poi (which are used in Maori dance), kete (baskets woven from flax and also incorporating further ornamental embellishments), cloaks, adze blades and combs, as well as pipes and flutes, weapons, fishhooks and lures, a canoe stern post similar to those seen on dragon boats, and the walking sticks of orators, who had considerable mana (mianza) as speakers on maraes, the tribal gathering places.

At the opening, Mayor of Dunedin Dave Cull said he was proud of the Otago Museum for this major achievement for Dunedin and New Zealand.

"The first museum exhibition of Maori taonga in China is an incredible achievement and reflects the high caliber of the Shanghai and Otago Museums as cultural institutions," Cull said.

Wilson said these cultural exhibitions were valuable for both museums and their communities.

"We can share each other's cultural heritage, broaden our perspectives and find new ways of seeing the world," she said.

The Otago Museum's Chief Executive Shimrath Paul said, "The importance of this exhibition should not be underestimated. Not only will the exhibition have a significant impact this year, but it will be an important cornerstone for future initiatives and key to strengthening our future relationships. Exactly what benefits may accrue in five, 10 or 15 years are unknown, but the certainty they will occur is made greater with each cultural exchange."