Māori Feather Cloak Returns Home After More Than a Century

A significant cultural treasure, the kahu kiwi, has returned to its ancestral home in New Zealand more than a century after it was gifted to a British doctor. The kiwi feather cloak, described by Māori campaigners as "crying to come home," was the subject of a ceremony in Oxford before its repatriation.

Dr. Lorraine Eade, chair of the Ngāti Rārua o Te Wairau Society, which now owns the cloak, stated its significance is "beyond measure." She noted that its return provides an opportunity to acknowledge the work of Dr. Cleghorn, the British doctor who received the cloak in 1900.

The Pitt Rivers Museum, where the cloak was housed, indicated that Cleghorn advocated for Māori people's right to local hospital treatment, rather than requiring them to travel further afield. He also educated families on public health measures in their homes.

Shane Graham, chief executive of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rārua, a Māori authority, called the return a momentous occasion. "It restores mana [prestige] and honours the deep emotional and cultural significance of our living connection to this taonga [treasure]," he said.

Prof. Laura Van Broekhoven, director of the Pitt Rivers Museum, expressed pleasure that the day for the kahu kiwi's return had arrived. A ceremony was held in Oxford to mark the cloak's departure.