New Zealand recovers Maori heads from France

In a ceremony where music and singing mingled with calls to the spirit of ancestors, New Zealand recovered 20 mummified Maori heads Friday that had been held in French museums for nearly two centuries. The tattooed heads were handed over by French officials from Paris's Quai Branly Museum after a four-year political struggle. The Maori heads were once warriors who tattooed their faces with elaborate geometric designs to show their rank, and were an object of fascination for European explorers who collected and traded them from the 18th century onwards. Duration: 00:52

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• WEB
• ASIA
• NZEALAND
• FRANCE
• HISTORY
• DIPLOMACY
• MAORI

[TheAwarua]

@macbrack04 and im guessing your an expert on Maori culture??? moron. Stick to the spelling contests and leave culture to the non-Angloz

[ngatirere]

@macbrack04 = ignorant. Educate yourself more and then what you say will carry more weight.

[macbrack04]

Much of this is not 'culture' only a bandwagon of guilt tripping.

[2degucitas]

So glad the Maoris preserve their culture. Rest in peace, ancient relatives!