Behind enemy lines for taonga
The sacking of Kaiapoi Pa¯ in Canterbury by Nga¯ ti Toa in 1831 was one of the darkest days in Nga¯ i Tahu history.
Leaders were killed, and the cultural and economic hub of the tribe was decimated.
Bringing solace among the desolation was Apeahama Te Aika.
A teenager at the time, he snuck back into the pa¯ to retrieve a prized tiki from the grave of an ancestor.
So began the storied history of Te Aika hei tiki, among the earliest pendants in human form carved from South Island greenstone.
It will be on display at Canterbury Museum for the next six months as part of Kura Pounamu, alongside various other greenstone treasures. The exhibition is presented by the national museum Te Papa Tongarewa and Te Ru¯nanga o Nga¯i Tahu. Originally displayed in Wellington from 2009 to 2011, the collection has since toured China and France.
The tiki is of particular importance to the museum’s curator of human history, Corban Te Aika, whose fifth great-grandfather was the brave soul who retrieved the tiki from behind enemy lines. ‘‘It’s a significant taonga in our wha¯ nau and we are excited that it will be home for the next six months,’’ Te Aika said.
‘‘It is a symbol of the mana of our tı¯puna, as are many taonga in this exhibition for other wha¯ nau.’’
Te Aika hei tiki was sold to a collector in 1922 when the Te Aika family fell on hard times, and it changed hands several times, spending nearly 50 years in London. With support from Canterbury Museum and Te Papa, the tiki was returned home in 1991.
The exhibition opened on Saturday and runs until June 3.