Ethical Issues of Bioarchaeology in New Zealand-Aotearoa: Relationships, esearch, and Repatriation

Abstract

New Zealand has a high profile internationally for the repatriation of human skeletal remains, with repatriation starting in the 1970s, and international and national repatriations continuing to the present day. The ethical issues surrounding the use of Māori human skeletal remains (kôiwi tangata Māori) for research are significant as kôiwi tangata are considered tûpuna (ancestors). Kôiwi tangata Māori embody central elements of Māori identity including genealogy and wellbeing, thus the study of their remains is abhorrent for many Māori. This chapter provides a review from both a Māori and bioarchaeological perspective on repatriation issues of kôiwi tangata Māori. We present a discussion of the Māori worldview and their relationship with the dead, interactions and relationships between Māori and bioarchaeologists during the stages of the repatriation process, and the attitudes of repatriation by bioarchaeologists working in New Zealand. Ethnographic work is presented on the attitudes of bioarchaeologists and archaeologists in New Zealand and these are contrasted to the situation in England of working with local human skeletal remains. Internationally, New Zealand is unique, where bioarchaeology and archaeological practice is very much intertwined with Māori cultural and spiritual values, making the relationships between iwi (a Māori).