Anthropology and Photography at the American Museum of Natural History

Entitled ‘Maori Group’, Locality: New Zealand, Date: March 1910, Photographer: Thos. Lundt. Who is this group of Maori and where in New Zealand is this photograph taken? Are they a political party or a religious group, and what is happening in New Zealand in 1910 that is of significance to Maori, the indigenous people of the land, these are the questions that come to mind. Who is Thomas Lundt and why was he in New Zealand? Upon further inspection there are no religious symbols or political signifiers so who are they? What has brought them together in this time and place to be photographed? The clues are abstract and the information provided somewhat misleading, with assistance and persistence the story begins to unfold.

At the turn of the century Thomas Lundt was the photographer for the American Museum of Natural History, and ‘he never set foot upon the shores of the New Zealand. That photo was taken here at the museum’ states Barbara Mathe matter-of-factly. Her role as the Senior Special Collections Librarian at the American Museum of Natural History, over years, has given her an intimate knowledge of the photo archive collections that is irreplaceable and hard to keep up with, especially with the rapid pace of technological development. With this piece of information the search suddenly changes tack and the question of why Thomas Lundt was in New Zealand is now replaced by why were these Maori in New York?

Drawer 170, Anthropology: Oceania, New Zealand, like a waka huia3 filled with treasured feathers, opens to reveal a series of portraits of men and women from the group image. Subject: ‘Maoris’ or ‘Maori Woman with chin tattoo’ describe these human subjects of ethnographic interest, living, native specimens. The photographs are original prints, and the models sit solemnly, with confidence and poise, looking either directly at the camera or with their heads strategically turned to a three quarter angle, an angle typical of anthropological photography of the early twentieth century. This series of photographs are a selection of objects catalogued between 32774 to 32789, most of which are printed, but not all, so where are the remaining images that are not present in drawer 170? Again Barbara uncovers more clues by bringing the box of glass plate negatives to attention. With methodical inspection the remaining images reveal several repeats of similar poses and compositions, and the same emotionless faces. A young man, who stands proudly on the right hand side of the group photo, appears again in the individual shots. His cloak, of special note as it features the dog skin tuft attachments that are reserved for chiefs within Maori tribes, is oddly positioned as a mat upon which he is seated on a chair. Within Maori culture the act of sitting upon, or standing over something, is a sign of disrespect, so this composition portrays more about the intention of the photographer than it does of the cultural values of its subject. Further library research uncovered the historical theatrical notes of the NY Times to reveal that Professor Lofe of the Natural History Museum had made a cast of the head of Kiwi Amohau, who was ‘the leading chief of the Maori’s at the Hippodrome, to be added to the Museum’s New Zealand collection. Later casts will be made of several of women of the tribe.’i This provides explanation for why so many images were taken of the ‘Maori Woman with chin tattoo’ who would provide detailed information for the proposed casts.

Another series of portraits within the negatives is of a young Maori warrior who is pictured brandishing several of the weapons, in the pose of an ancient warriorii, with tongue protruding in a pukana4 and wearing only a maro, or fabric loin cloth. Thomas Lundt photographed various Halls within the museum whilst they were being built, one of which was the South Sea Island Hall that opened to the public on January 25th 1910.iii Standing proudly at the entrance of the Hall is an exact replica of the ‘Maori dancer’, a skillfully crafted, anonymous bronze sculpture standing upon an exquisite piece of New Zealand pounamu or greenstone.

“THE STATUE OF THE MAORI WARRIOR STANDING ON THE “LARGEST BLOCK OF JADE IN ANY MUSEUM IN THE WORLD. The statue was made by Sigurd Neandross from direct studies of a living member of the Maori tribe. The block of jade which weighs three tons and came from South Island, New Zealand, was presented to the museum by Mr J. Pierpont Morgan, having been secured for him by George F. Kunz.’iv”

Sigurd Neandross was the resident sculptor at the American Museum of Natural History at the turn of the century and crafted many of the life group models, including this Maori warrior, and the Cedar Bark group featured in the North West coast Indians Hall as commissioned by anthropologist Franz Boas. John Pierpont Morgan (1837 – 1913) was an American financier, banker, philanthropist, and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his timev, and his passionate interest in ancient artifacts led him to help establish American Museum of Natural History in 1869. George F. Kunz was a self-educated gem expert who at the age of 23 became the Vice President of Tiffany & Co. He acquired the jade on behalf of J. P. Morgan, a partnership that had also led to the gifting of two rare sapphires to the Natural History Museum. The director of the museum had envisioned a heroic theme for the jade that would signify its importance to the Maori people, and for over a year prior, Neandross had worked on sketches for a Maori warrior to stand upon the jade. In November 1909 a Maori troupe arrived in New York for a season’s performance at the Hippodrome, the largest theatre in the world that had opened in 1905, and occupied the entire block on sixth avenue between 43rd and 44th streets with a seating capacity of 5,200.vi Professor H. E. Crampton, an anthropologist from Columbia University and the American Museum of Natural History, had traveled to New Zealand in the summer of 1909 and whilst on his journey had coincidentally met a representative of the New York Hippodrome who was on his way to bring back a band of thirty Maoris from Auckland, New Zealand.vii It was through this chance meeting that Prof. Crampton began discussion with Chief Kiwi Amohau and inspired the Maori’s interest in the museums plan for the Maori warrior sculpture. Because the troupe was in New York they were able to make several visits to the museum, and hence have their photographs taken by Thomas Lundt. It was decided that the young Hautuoterangi would be photographed and cast for the sculpture, and he ‘felt highly honored to be the representative of his race, so that his descendants might see the statue when they visited the great city at any future time.’viii Had the Maori troupe not been en route to New York the statue would have been made from third hand information, and the Museum’s record of the Maori people would more likely have been misinterpreted. It was a timely intention that the museum endeavored to capture the Maori Moko, or facial tattoo, because in 1907 the Tohunga Suppression Act had been passed in New Zealand which disallowed the practices of Tohunga, who were the holders of traditional knowledge, including Ta Moko or tattooing, and other associated art forms.

In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi had been signed between the Maori chiefs and representatives of the British Crown, in short this ensured that Maori would retain their rights to cultural practices and the settlers the right to governance and land purchase. Over the next 50 years a struggle for political power between the ‘Natives’ and the ‘Colonist’s’ became a significant aspect of the countries history and racial tensions were eminent. ‘There was a paradigm of the time amongst English colonists that Māori were a "lost race", the effect of banning the practices of spiritual and cultural leaders was that it hastened the assimilation of Māori.’ix American attitudes towards the Maori were somewhat more liberal than the English, and because of the Maori ability to negotiate they were a lot more respected than other indigenous peoples who had been objectified throughout the early nineteenth century. A book review of the “All Red British Empire Series” in the NY Times 1910, presents this attitude to the American public in stating that ‘the Maori’s are so much more developed than the Australian Savage that the early chapters are far more interesting than those of “The Australian Commonwealth,” and the development of the colony is equally rich in lessons in political and economical theory and practice, and the greater part of the work is almost as valuable to the American as to the Englishman.’x

Display Ad New York Times in Historical New York Times, October 31, 1910

An earlier advertisement for the ’60 Mighty Maori’s’ at the Hippodrome appeared in the October 31 1909 issue of the NY Times, promoting the ‘Fiery, Frenzied, Dancing Feats’ and ‘Bronze bellies in graceful canoe “Poi’s”, and incredulously remarked that ‘these Savage Suffragettes are actual voters in their New Zealand Home’.xi In 1893 Kate Sheppard was the head of the franchise and legislation department of the Women’s Christian Temperance Campaign and is now historically recognized as leader of the suffrage struggle that resulted in New Zealand becoming the first country to allow women to vote. The Australian Government followed closely behind and enfranchised women from 1894-1902 but Aboriginal women were still discriminated against.xii American women were finally granted the right to vote ten years later in 1920 with the nineteenth amendment to the United States Constitution, which stated that no citizen would be denied the right to vote by any state on account of sex.

By following reports in the NY Times the Maori troupe are mentioned from October 1909 through until April 1910, seven months spent far away from their home village and families, a period that challenged their cultural beliefs with both joyous and unhappy occasions. On October 6th 1909 the Prime Minister of New Zealand Sir Joseph Ward was welcomed home from the Imperial Conference, and as reported by the Otago Witness, mentioned that whilst in New York he had met the Maori troupe that were touring America, who had asked him to convey greetings to the Natives of New Zealand, and had informed him that they were anxious to return.xiii Back in America on December 28th the troupe received the sad news that Marangi, the wife of Te Wiremu one of the men, had passed away. ‘The tribe began the death chant of their nation,’xiv and after the performance they continued to mourn the loss of their loved one who was lying in state in their homeland. The tangi, or funerary traditions are an important time within Maori culture, when the extended tribe gathers to honor the deceased and pay their respects to the family. So the challenge of upholding tikanga, Maori protocols would have been bought to the forefront in this tearful occasion. But, with death comes life, and by March the tribe was blessed with a joyous occasion, the birth of Lizzie Lowell Hinemoa a daughter to the acting chief Tai, and his wife Kiramatao. The baby was named after Helen Lowell a well-known American actress of the time, who had become friends with several of the Maori a few years earlier,xv when she had been in New Zealand with the play ‘Mrs. Wiggs Cabbage Patch Company’ a comedy written by Anne Crawford Flexner. An article entitled ‘Maori Baby Christened... An Odd Ceremony’ highlighted the cultural practices of the Maori with a fascinated descriptive passage that explained:

‘The ceremony yesterday consisted of a preliminary hula and chant, after which the oldest woman of the tribe placed the baby in Miss Lowell’s arms and gave it its name. Miss Lowell then received a tray containing honey, some white flowers, a sprig of green leaves, and a feather. The honey represented a sweet voice; the leaves placed on the head were to guard against gray hair; the feather was to secure grace and lightness, and the white flowers represented purity.’

As their winter season was drawing to an end it was reported that the Shubert’s were planning to establish the Maori’s at one of the uptown amusement parks. Where a Maori village would be built and the troupe would perform a new selection of songs and dances that had not yet been seen by an American audience, with the added exhibition of weaving and mat making.xvii Whether the Maori troupe stayed in New York or returned to New Zealand is another journey to be embarked upon at another point in time.

From the nameless Maori group staring solemnly into the camera a story of fame, family, life and death has revealed itself. At the turn of the century when indigenous peoples beliefs were challenged by colonization and objectified by a western audience, this group of Maori from the volcano and geyser districtsxviii of Aotearoa New Zealand, opened their worldview not only for themselves but also for future generations and the American public. Their superb feather cloaks, weapons, moko and personal adornment an expression of a living culture, and costuming for their ‘savage dances’ of an ancient race, that was alive in 1910 and continues to thrive now 100 years on. The question of why they were in New York has been answered, but in doing so has uncovered many more. The Hippodrome provided a world stage for this group of ‘60 Mighty Maori’s’, warriors and savage suffragettes. But where is the statue of Hautuoterangi that danced defiantly at the entrance of the South Sea Island Hall, on top of the largest Jade in any museum? Was he removed with the opening of the Margaret Mead Hall of Pacific Peoples? Perhaps he waits quietly for his descendants, in the museum storehouse alongside the plaster cast heads of Chief Kiwi Amohau and the Maori Women with chin tattoos. From this one image in a collection of thousands held in the drawers of the American Museum of Natural History, the pieces of a jigsaw of mankind begin to fall into place. An object, whether a feather cloak, a bronze statue or a photograph will continue to be vessels for the stories of their culture as long as the questions continue to be asked. An ancient Maori proverb poses the question ‘He aha te mea nui o te Ao?’, ‘What is the greatest thing in the world?’ and the response ‘He tangata, he tangata, he tangata!’, ‘It is people, it is people, it is people!’ Culture is held in the stories and songs of the ancestors, to be continued, practiced and revealed by it’s descendants, and material culture will always be admired and appreciated by those who are willing to learn. Within Maori culture the meeting house is adorned with carved images of tribal ancestors which can be interpreted to recite tribal histories, in similar fashion this image has allowed me to unfold a moment in history that reveals that I am just one of many Maori who have come to New York City in search of greater things, and spread the news of the dynamic, thriving Maori people.

(Author’s conclusion that this is Chief Kiwi Amohau, as the subjects remain un-
named. Photo-object, Maori’s, Photographer Thos. Lundt, Date: March 1910, Drawer
170, Anthropology: Oceania, New Zealand, AMNH Library.)

Bethany Edmunds, NYU Steinhardt

Footnotes.
1. Indigenous people of New Zealand
2. Traditional carved greenstone pendant in the shape of Tiki, a Maori ancestor
3. Waka Huia: Maori treasure box used to store jewelry and sacred feathers
4. To stare wildly, and dilate the eyes when performing haka or Maori war dance

References.
i. Theatrical notes, New York Times in Historical New York Times, January 19, 1910
ii. The American Museum Journal, American Museum of Natural History, New York, 1910
iii. (ibid.)
iv. (ibid.)
v. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/J._P._Morgan (accessed March 12, 2009)
vi. The Encyclopedia Americana; a library of universal knowledge, Encyclopedia Americana Corp., New York 1918-20 http://books.google.com/books?id=fbRPAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA202&ots=UKO3ONKISG&dq=NY%20Hippodrome%201910&pg=PA202&output=text (accessed March 12, 2009)
vii. The American Museum Journal, American Museum of Natural History, New York, 1910
viii. (ibid.)
ix. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tohunga_Suppression_Act
x. Browne, Stephenson. Boston Gossip of Latest Books, New York Times in Historical New York Times, January 15, 1910
xi. Display Ad New York Times in Historical New York Times, October 31, 1910
xii. http://www.elections.org.nz/democracy/history/votes-for-women.html
xiii. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW19091006.2.7&srpos=1&e=09-09-1909-28-04-1910--10--1----1Maori+Troupe+New+York-article
xiv. Theatrical notes, New York Times in Historical New York Times, December 28, 1909
xv. Maori Baby Christened, Chiefs Daughter Named Lizzie Lowell Hinemoa, Odd Ceremony. New York Times in Historical New York Times, March 24, 1910
xvi. (ibid.)
xvii. Theatrical notes, New York Times in Historical New York Times, January 29, 1910
xviii. The American Museum Journal, American Museum of Natural History, New York, 1910