Māori Eel Trap Returns After 163 Years
A large Māori hīnaki (eel trap) is returning to Waikato's Ngāti Naho after 163 years overseas — described as a "hugely significant" moment for cultural heritage. The repatriation reflects the growing global movement to return indigenous artifacts to their communities of origin.
This particular hīnaki, measuring 7 meters long and 1.5 meters at its widest point, is the longest known Māori eel trap in any collection worldwide. For the past 163 years, it has been held by the Melbourne Museum. The process to repatriate the taonga (treasured possession) was a two-year endeavor spearheaded by Brad Totorewa, a spokesperson for Ngāti Naho, and Jade Hadfield, a curator at the Melbourne Museum. The hīnaki's journey away from its home began after the battle of Rangiriri in November 1863, a key conflict during the Waikato invasion. It was taken from a canoe and subsequently donated to the museum in 1871 by Sir William Saltonstall Wiseman, the commander of a colonial gunboat flotilla that attacked Rangiriri. The Crown issued a formal apology to the Waikato people in 1995 for the unjust invasion and the "widespread suffering, distress, and deprivation" that resulted from the war and land confiscation. This historical context was a significant factor in the museum's decision to return the artifact. The physical return of the hīnaki is planned to occur within the next four months. The final approval from the museum's board was an emotional moment, with the chairwoman reportedly moved to tears as the significance of the taonga was explained. Prior to this decision, the eel trap had only been unrolled twice since its acquisition: once in 1888 and again 136 years later by the museum's curators.
