Rats enjoyed treaty ‘paper’
The South Canterbury Museum’s new exhibition Treaty 2U has as a centrepiece a number of replica copies of original Treaty documents that were signed by the Crown’s representatives and Maori leaders around New Zealand in 1840.
The replica documents on display have been made to look exactly like the originals, down to the original damage. 500 Maori leaders signed the Treaty over the course of several months, following the initial event held at Waitangi on February 6.
Copies of the document were transported around the country, enabling chiefs to either write their name, have it recorded or indicate their acceptance through markings such as a copy of their moko, or facial tattoos.
The replica documents on display have been made to look exactly as the originals, down to the original damage.
This is particularly interesting in the case of the main Treaty document. It was produced on parchment paper, made from animal hides. Until 1865 it was stored in Auckland where it survived one building fire. It was then transferred to the new capital, Wellington. Here it lay in the basement of the House of Representatives.
Unfortunately, local rats found the animal-based parchment material irresistible. It was not until 1908 that the damage was discovered, and steps taken to provide better care.
The document has received a number of treatments over the years, some good and some not so good. It is now under very careful care and on display at Archives New Zealand in Wellington.