Specially designed case for historic Maori kite

By KIP BROOK

Possibly the oldest Maori kite in existence is to be preserved at the British Museum in London as part of its 250th anniversary celebrations.

The early 19th century kite was from the Bay of Plenty and the New Zealand Society in Britain is funding a specially made casing to protect the manu tukutuku (kite).

British Museum assistant curator Jenny Newell said the kite was so fragile it could not be moved for displays in other museums.

"The kite is in the museum's storehouse at the moment and is made in the form of a bird," Ms Newell said.

"It is a bird with a man's head and a tattooed face. It was made by a Maori community in the Bay of Plenty in the early nineteenth century. It is an exceptional treasure, being one of only two surviving 'birdman' kites," she said.

Last December, Muriel Parsons of the New Zealand Society asked the museum if it would be interested in a donation to conserve a historic object.

The New Zealand Society holds a Waitangi Day anniversary dinner in January each year to raise funds for projects that foster links between New Zealand and Great Britain.

Ms Newell said the museum was thrilled to be selected as the beneficiaries of the society's 2002 event.

Dr Lissant Bolton, curator of the Pacific and Australian collection, proposed that a contemporary Maori birdman kite could be commissioned, inspired by the historic kite.

Maori artists have recently revived the art of making birdman kites.

The revival is part of a flourishing exploration and expression of Maori history and identity.

By commissioning a new kite, the British Museum will be able to reflect the new role that kites are playing for Maori.

The two key parts to the kite project are the commissioning of a contemporary kite and the construction of a new storage box for the historic kite.

"The kite is actually in a stable condition and doesn't need to be restored. The conservation work involved is the constructing of a new storage box which is up to current conservation standards.

"Most of the grant from the NZ Society is going to fund a Maori artist to construct a contemporary kite, inspired by the historic kite," Ms Newell said. The kites in pre-European New Zealand were not just for play. The more complex were used for communication and divination.

The Bay of Plenty kite at the British Museum has a 2.65m wingspan and has a manuka wood frame, covered in calico with shell eyes.

It was collected by a Captain Manning and donated to the British Museum in 1843 by a Mr Reed.

The only other known surviving birdman kite is at the Auckland Museum. It was made in Gisborne by Wiremu Kingi. Recent analysis discovered some strips of a 1884 Government Gazette inside the structure of the face.

The kite was presented to the Auckland Museum by Governor George Grey in 1886.