DECOLONISING CONSERVATION
By Dean Sully. Review by Matthew J. Forss, Independent Scholar, www.indigenouspeoplesissues.com
The notion of contested conservation practices in ethnography develops out of a Western or Eurocentric view of the world. In this manner, heritage preservation involves a struggle between museum and societal policies within local, regional and national cultural organizations. In essence, museums and cultural organizations work together to properly and respectfully carry out the missions of the museum and the cultural artefacts of indigenous peoples. It is this latter point which illustrates the primary importance of addressing ways of decolonising conservation, or more specifically, ensuring control, use, and ownership of cultural artefacts or treasures (taonga) by the indigenous peoples themselves.
In Decolonizing Conservation, Dean Sully and other notable experts in Maori and New Zealand studies, discuss issues and concerns of Maori meeting houses (wharenui) in New Zealand, Germany, the U.S. and the U.K. Maori meeting houses are prominent community buildings for various rituals, events, funerals, marriages, births, and other social festivities. Only four wharenui exist outside of New Zealand, one of which is called Hinemihi of the Old World (Hinemihi o te Ao Tawhito) located at the Clandon Park estate in Surrey, England.
The notion of contested conservation practices in ethnography develops out of a Western or Eurocentric view of the world. In this manner, heritage preservation involves a struggle between museum and societal policies within local, regional and national cultural organizations. In essence, museums and cultural organizations work together to properly and respectfully carry out the missions of the museum and the cultural artefacts of indigenous peoples. It is this latter point which illustrates the primary importance of addressing ways of decolonising conservation, or more specifically, ensuring control, use, and ownership of cultural artefacts or treasures (taonga) by the indigenous peoples themselves.
In Decolonizing Conservation, Dean Sully and other notable experts in Maori and New Zealand studies, discuss issues and concerns of Maori meeting houses (wharenui) in New Zealand, Germany, the U.S. and the U.K. Maori meeting houses are prominent community buildings for various rituals, events, funerals, marriages, births, and other social festivities. Only four wharenui exist outside of New Zealand, one of which is called Hinemihi of the Old World (Hinemihi o te Ao Tawhito) located at the Clandon Park estate in Surrey, England.
Hinemihi was built in Te Wairoa, New Zealand in the 1880s and shipped to England in the 1890s. In England, Hinewihi was to be used as "a public place where important decisions were made, visitors entertained, genealogies affirmed, relationships confirmed, births and marriages celebrated, and the dead mourned… a symbolic place to celebrate and confirm local Maori identity" (p. 130).
In this book, the nature of public policy, museological studies and conservation of wharenui are interconnected and multifactoral. One of the problems with museum conservation standards of heritage preservation involves a quandary in determining "appropriate standards of museum care and interpretation of cultural treasures…in direct contradiction to or at variance with the source communities from where they originated and from where their meanings and significances lie" (p. 45).
In order to solve the dilemma between respecting and honoring Maori rights amid global preservation and display of artefacts and culture, several legislative and political components need to be discussed. Thankfully, Dean Sully and other contributors largely fill this void by presenting protective legislation, including the Treaty of Waitangi, the Objects Protection Act 1975, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, New Zealand Historic Place Trust, and the Department of Conservation. It is important to understand the historic contributions and implications of wharenui on display, while concomitantly considering the contemporary purpose for Maori artefact protection and display. Moreover, this book reiterates that there are "living relationships between the taonga [treasures] and the communities and peoples from which they originate and with which they identify" (p. 54). As a result, living descendants "should not be relegated to the historic past; rather, the cultural significance of these taonga have restorative dimensions in relation to the articulation of identity, belonging, and connection" (p. 55).
The essay by Julie DeLong Lawlor and Katy Lithgow examines the role of The National Trust and Hinemihi at Clandon Park is of particular note. Part of the responsibility of The National Trust resides on determining a conservation management process by preparing a statement of significance. This statement is used to identify the most significant features of the property or structure, which deem it unique and a vital social, political, and cultural component of the Ngati Hinemihi (descendants of Hinemihi) and Ngati Ranana (London Maori Club). Lawlor describes Hinemihi as "many things to many people, a whare tupuna (ancestral house), a whare runanga (meeting house), and a whare wananga (house of learning) for UK-based and visiting Maori and an opportunity for visitors to Clandon to appreciate Maori culture and history…it is appropriate that Hinemihi continues to develop as a focus for Maori culture in the United Kingdom" (p. 154).
Historic preservationists face many difficulties and considerations for restoration and reconstruction projects and Hinemihi provides an informative example. For instance, wharenui restorations were incredibly difficult to accomplish, since a thorough knowledge of materials used for construction were necessary. The importance of maintaining a commitment to preserving wharenui as close to natural as possible was a key issue for the National Trust and Maori communities. Ultimately, the effects of weather and time degraded wharenui materials. The predicament for historic preservationists resulted from indecision regarding when and how to properly repair roof structures and painted walls according to Maori customs and traditions. Historical accuracy, community support, and Maori appeasement were paramount to any form of restoration.
Sully's last essay eloquently sums up the issues discussed earlier in the book. However, the definition of 'decolonising conservation' is not clearly defined, but its implications for ethnic communities and historic preservation and conservation practices are numerous. In fact, decolonising conservation provides alternative ways of approaching the conservation process by contextualizing past relationships with contemporary communities and indigenous aspirations. In effect, it provides an interconnected link between the past and present with object-centered social networks.
The book's chapter layout and contributor essays are well-organized, succinct, and relevant for the study of New Zealand wharenui in international locations. A one-page poem included by Rosanna Rowland--So Who Invited Tu?--is a worthy addition for a work on Maori poetry, but oddly is included in this book. Still, Sully's expertise on Maori meeting houses is unsurpassed. Likewise, undergraduate and graduate students of Maori studies, cultural preservation, museology, oceania, anthropology, folklore, and archaeology will find Decolonizing Conservation
most helpful. Finally, in Decolonizing Conservation, Sully understands the larger picture regarding an active role in caring for Maori meetings houses outside New Zealand, because "the involvement of communities has occurred as heritage institutions and their professionals have allowed it to take place…Maori participants are clearly guests and are not hosting the process" (p. 238). The complicated and interconnected role of government, museums, private institutions, and public policy ultimately shape the present and future outlook of meeting houses for indigenous families and descendants of Maori throughout the world. Although the real solution for protecting New Zealand wharenui resides with the Maori themselves, James Schuster offers his own observation of the Maori view of Hinemihi at Clandon quite poignantly "we owe her [Hinemihi] our lives…when she is ready to return [to New Zealand], she will. It may be right to leave that question to her" (p. 239).