French parliament set to approve return of Maori heads to New Zealand

French set to approve return of Maori heads

PARIS — France’s parliament is expected Tuesday to approve the return of tattooed, mummified Maori heads to New Zealand, wrapping up a years-long debate on what to do with the human remains acquired long ago by French museums seeking exotic curiosities.

For years, New Zealand has sought the return of Maori heads kept in collections abroad, many of which were obtained by Westerners in exchange for weapons and other goods. Dozens of museums worldwide have agreed to return them.

France’s Senate already has approved the bill to send Maori heads in French collections back to New Zealand. On Tuesday, the bill is expected to clear the final hurdle in parliament at the National Assembly, where parties on both the left and right have said they back it.

The Culture Ministry has said it has counted 16 Maori heads in France, including seven at Paris’ Quai Branly museum for the primitive arts, which keeps them in storage.

The debate started in France in 2007, when officials in the Normandy city of Rouen offered to return a Maori head in the city’s natural history museum. Local authorities got a scolding from the culture minister for not checking with national authorities first.

French officials were worried that Rouen’s unilateral decision would set a precedent for similar action by other museums — a big concern in a country that is home to the Louvre, with its many Egyptian mummies.

Lawmaker Michele Tabarot, head of commission for cultural affairs at the National Assembly, told parliament last week: “These remains have awaited a dignified burial, in accordance with Maori rights, for too long.”

Some of the Maori heads, with intricate tattoos, were traditionally kept as trophies from tribal warfare. But once Westerners began offering prized goods in exchange for them, men were in danger of being killed simply for their tattoos, French museum officials have said.

Since 2003 Maori and New Zealand government agencies have worked on efforts to persuade museums worldwide to repatriate Maori remains back to Maori tribes, so far with mixed success. Maori believe that forebears’ remains deserve full respect and care and should rest in their home area without being disturbed.