marlborough Museum - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
This exhibition focuses on the most significant recent discoveries about the people of Aotearoa - New Zealand. This is a land mark exhibition about the understanding of the people of our land, and their origins in East Polynesia.
The Wairau Bar is a most significant site in the archaeology of Marlborough, and also the Pacific. It is the place where the ancestors of Maori today rest. These are the earliest known graves in the country. The guardians of the site are Rangitane iwi. Due to the foresight of Rangitane, and their work with archaeologists and scientists, we have had an explosion of information in recent years. These insights are shared in this exhibition.
At least four graves on the Bar belong to the first generation of Polynesian settlers.The latest scientific work has proven that these people were once children in East Polynesia. While current DNA research will hold the key to their exact origins, this new permanent exhibition summarises the key points that are relevant today in understanding our origins, and daily life in the 13th C.
Brilliant exhibition design, with clear information, and fascinating artefacts will inspire you!
Related Resources on the Web
Connections with Hawaiki: the Evidence of a Shell Tool from Wairau Bar, Marlborough, New Zealand