Auckland Museum returns four taonga to Aboriginal people

Sapeer Mayron
18:00, Nov 15 2022

Four Aboriginal taonga are going home to Australia this week in an agreement between Auckland Museum and the Warumungu people of the Northern Territory.

The four artefacts were collected by anthropologists in Tennant Creek over 100 years ago.

Some will be displayed in Tennant Creek again – home to nine Aboriginal groups and the site of Australia’s last gold rush.



The four taonga being returned to Australia this week by Auckland Museum.

Warumungu man Jimmy Frank spoke at a pōwhiri, and told the gathering how familiar those markings are.

“My grandparents made this out of rock, today I’m using a steel axe and a grinder. But the significant shape, the signatures are still the same today. Even though we are living in two different era,” he said.

“And that goes for our culture. We might live in different worlds today, but we still the same people.”

More:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/130474507/auckland-museum-returns-four-taonga-to-aboriginal-people
The four items are a palya/kupija (adze), a ngurrulumuru (axe/pick), and two wartilykirri (hooked boomerang).