Ancient taonga Motunui returns home to Taranaki 2015

Video in Te Reo with sub titles

Smuggled out of the country and sold to a private collector, the Motunui panels have a history as rich as the artwork itself. The ornate panels were hidden in a swamp for safekeeping during the tribal wars when they were rediscovered in 1972. Carved in the 18th century, the panels were returned as a part of  Treaty settlement to Te Ātiawa.

2:53                                                                                        7/6/24