The Taonga Files

A simple search for a kupu leads Migoto to a 1915 Williams Māori dictionary with a surprising whakapapa of its own. In this episode, She traces the legacy of the Williams whānau, generations of Māori language scholars, and uncover how this particular copy once sat on Elsdon Best’s desk - complete with his clippings, markers, and quiet traces of use. A reminder that even the most unassuming taonga can hold deep stories.
Links:
Te Aka Māori Dictionary
William Williams Dictionary 1844
Williams Family Papers
Elsdon Best
Ratana Faith
"Please don't bit the books" blog

Glossary
Māngere - lazy
Ngā Manu Korero - yearly secondary schools speech competition
Koroua - grandfather
Whānau - family
Kōrero - discussion; speech
Hononga - connection
Matua, tama, wairua tapu - Father, son, holy spirit
Anahera pono - Faithful angels
Hīmene - hymn
Tohu - sign
Rangatahi - youth, young people
Tangi/Tangihanga - funeral

Provenance research isn’t just about tracing an object’s past - it’s about restoring identity, dignity, and connection. In this episode, Amber breaks down what truly belongs in a provenance research toolkit, from core methods and detective‑coded analytical tools to digital resources, community engagement, and the ethical foundations that guide every decision.
Drawing on kaupapa‑led practice and real‑world experience, this episode gives researchers a clear, grounded framework for building their own toolkit - one that’s intentional, relational, and ready for the complex realities of museum, archive, and repatriation work.
A must‑listen for early‑career and seasoned researchers alike who want to strengthen their methodology, sharpen their process, and carry out this work with integrity and care.

Step into the archives with us as a seemingly ordinary A&P Show catalogue cracks open a hidden world of taonga Māori competitions — carvings, korowai, piupiu, mats, kits, weapons, all filed under the enigmatic category “Native Industries.”
Amber and Migoto follow the clues through 30 years of entries, familiar names, unexpected judges, and the mystery of the elusive piupiu tatangi. No photos. No surviving descriptions. Just the paper trail — and the stories waiting beneath it.
If you love archival detective work, whakapapa threads, and taonga that refuse to stay quiet, this episode is for you.

Links
The Knowledge Bank
Hand Woven Raffia Shoes

Glossary
Hue - Gourd used as a vessel.
Kairaranga - Weavers; practitioners of raranga.
Kaupapa - Purpose, guiding principle, topic.
Kiekie - Freycinetia banksii - a thick native vine which has long leaves with fine teeth crowded at the end of branches.
Korowai - Cloak with decorative tassels (hukahuka).
Kumete - Wooden bowl or vessel.
Mahi - Work, practice, effort.
Mātauranga - Knowledge; Māori knowledge systems.
Piupiu - Flax skirt worn in kapa haka and ceremonial contexts.
Pounamu - Greenstone; highly valued stone.
Raranga - Weaving.
Taiaha - Long-handled weapon used in martial arts and ceremony.
Tokotoko - Carved walking stick used in oratory.
Toki - Adze; tool or weapon.
Whakairo - Carving; carved objects or the practice of carving.
Whakapapa - Genealogy, lineage, relational identity.
Whānau - Family, extended family, community.

In this episode, the ladies open a map for new researchers, early‑career curators, and anyone beginning their journey into cultural heritage. Archives and national libraries hold the raw materials of history, manuscripts, photographs, government records, sound recordings, newspapers, “the evidence, the voices, the paper trails, the contradictions, the context.”

Links
National Library of New Zealand
Archives New Zealand
Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision

Glossary
Taonga Puoro - musical instrument
Rōpū - group, party of people, company

This is not your typical taonga Māori. Its also not just an old ledger but if you take a closer look it can reveal more. We’ll take you into the room with this taonga what it was like and what you might find. Not dissimilar to an address book from 1878 we’ll share with you its purpose, importance and its taonga-like characteristics. We talk about the Te Wananga newspaper and its subscribers who were recorded in this ledger. Te reo Māori is central to the mode of communication at the time in sharing critical news uniting iwi Māori over land matters but most of all, a defence to overturn fraudulent sales of Māori land.
A snapshot in time, a window to the lives of our tipuna, a source of empowerment and identity. Listen in on this episode to find out more about the Te Wananga ledger.

Links
Book: Lives of Colonial Objects 2015
Definition from of taonga from He Pātaka Kupu dictionary
Te Wānanga Ledger at MTG
Repudiation Movement
Kotahitanga Movement

Glossary
Tipuna Māori - Māori ancestors
Motu - country, island
Reo - language
Tairāwhiti rohe - East Coast region
Iwi, hapū - tribe, subtribe
Mana - control, power, authority
Rangatira - chief, leader
Uri whakatipu - descendants
Whenua ūkaipō - land of origin, home land
Whenua - land, placenta
Mana whenua - authority over land
Kōrero - discussion
Mere - hand held short club weapon often greenstone
Taiaha - long wooden weapon
Kākahu - cloak, clothing