April 16, 2014
Museums buy Te Pahi medal
A joint bid by Te Papa and the Auckland War Memorial Museum has secured a silver medal once owned by Bay of Islands chief Te Pahi.
The medal, which was given to Te Pahi in 1806 by New South Wales Governor Philip King to mark his efforts to encourage trade, was looted by British whalers from the chief’s island home in 1810.
It was believed lost until it was offered for auction in Sydney.
Auckland Museum director Roy Clare says the museums are working with Te Pahi’s descendants on a shared guardianship relationship.
He says the medal itself is an exceptionally significant piece of history relating to early relationships between Maori and Europeans.
Ngapuhi kaumatua Hugh Rihari says the purchase brings closure to the pain and suffering his hapu people have felt after the medal’s los
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