Isadora blog

N.Z museum mulls options for mummified Maori heads

WELLINGTON (AFP) – For decades, New Zealand has campaigned for museums to repatriate the mummified and heavily-tattooed heads of Maori warriors held in collections worldwide -- now it must decide what to do with the gruesome but culturally valuable relics.

New Zealand's national museum Te Papa has more than 100 of the heads, known as toi moko, in storage in Wellington, along with about 500 skeletal remains plundered from Maori graves as recently as the 1930s.

In Maori culture, the dark swirls and geometric designs of traditional facial tattoos on men recognised high birth and rank, as well as achievements on the battlefield.

Te Herekiekie Herewini, who leads Te Papa's repatriation programme, said the heads of deceased chiefs or family members would be mummified as a way of preserving their spirit, while enemies' heads were preserved as war trophies.

"Initially the mummification of heads and bodies was part of our normal mourning process," he said.

"But when Europeans came, they saw the exotic nature of the heads and they became a coveted trading item because they were of commercial value in Europe, America and Australia."

The heads became so valuable that in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, some Maori hunted members of rival iwis (tribes) and murdered them to supply the burgeoning market in European museums for exotic human remains.

"For some of the iwi, trading in toi moko was strategic in accessing items such as muskets and European tools," Herewini said.

The trade in human heads was banned in the 1830s but over the next century museums turned their attention to skeletal remains.

New Zealand medical students also fed the demand, as they were required to take their own skeletons when they attended overseas colleges, with most of the bones robbed from Maori tombs.

"People would go to known caves or hidden burial sites where they knew Maori remains were and, without permission, they would take them and trade them," Herewini said. "Every museum wanted their own Maori head or Maori skeleton."

The grisly curios continued to be displayed in museums around the world, including New Zealand, until the 1970s.

Herewini said it was around then that Maori began pushing for the repatriation of their ancestors' remains, often meeting fierce resistance from institutions which feared it would set a precedent that could eventually see them forced to return human remains such as ancient Egyptian mummies.

The French parliament last year voted overwhelmingly in favour of returning around 15 Maori toi moko after years of debate about the implications of the move.

"These are much more than simple museum pieces," French lawmaker Michele Tabarot said at the time.

"These are human remains and some of these people were deliberately murdered to satisfy a despicable trade."

Herewini said repatriating remains was an emotional issue for Maori, who had a strong connection to the land and wanted to give the warriors the dignity of a proper funeral.

"For us, it's taking an ancestor back home, so it's the whole process of remembering," he said. "They're family members and it's important for them to be returned home to their resting place.

"The iwi don't know exactly who these people are but they do know they're connected to the land. They think about the different battles they were in, the different lifestyle they lived and the possible connections they have with them directly."

While the remains are returned to their iwi whenever possible, Herewini said that a lack of historical records meant about a quarter of the heads and bones held at Te Papa could not be identified.

They are stored in acid-free boxes in a special area of the museum and never go on display. Even viewing images of toi moko is considered taboo in Maori culture, Herewini said.

Building a permanent mausoleum for the unidentified remains in Wellington is under consideration but the Ngati Kuri tribe, in the country's far north, has put forward an alternative proposal.

They want to bury them near Te Rerenga Wairua, or Cape Reinga, the northernmost point in New Zealand, where Maori believe the spirits of the dead depart for the afterlife.

"It's a special area where there are ancient burial sites," Ngati Kuri Trust chairman Graeme Neho said. "Provided the other iwi agree, we believe placing their final resting place there would be a comfort to them and we would be their guardians."

Regardless of the remains' final destination, Herewiri sad he would continue his quest to return Maori ancestors to their homeland.

"For me, it's about righting a wrong, whether that was committed by Maori or Europeans is really immaterial," he said.

"It's completing the circle and bringing these people back home."

N.Z museum mulls options for mummified Maori heads

WELLINGTON (AFP) – For decades, New Zealand has campaigned for museums to repatriate the mummified and heavily-tattooed heads of Maori warriors held in collections worldwide -- now it must decide what to do with the gruesome but culturally valuable relics.

New Zealand's national museum Te Papa has more than 100 of the heads, known as toi moko, in storage in Wellington, along with about 500 skeletal remains plundered from Maori graves as recently as the 1930s.

In Maori culture, the dark swirls and geometric designs of traditional facial tattoos on men recognised high birth and rank, as well as achievements on the battlefield.

Te Herekiekie Herewini, who leads Te Papa's repatriation programme, said the heads of deceased chiefs or family members would be mummified as a way of preserving their spirit, while enemies' heads were preserved as war trophies.

"Initially the mummification of heads and bodies was part of our normal mourning process," he said.

"But when Europeans came, they saw the exotic nature of the heads and they became a coveted trading item because they were of commercial value in Europe, America and Australia."

The heads became so valuable that in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, some Maori hunted members of rival iwis (tribes) and murdered them to supply the burgeoning market in European museums for exotic human remains.

"For some of the iwi, trading in toi moko was strategic in accessing items such as muskets and European tools," Herewini said.

The trade in human heads was banned in the 1830s but over the next century museums turned their attention to skeletal remains.

New Zealand medical students also fed the demand, as they were required to take their own skeletons when they attended overseas colleges, with most of the bones robbed from Maori tombs.

"People would go to known caves or hidden burial sites where they knew Maori remains were and, without permission, they would take them and trade them," Herewini said. "Every museum wanted their own Maori head or Maori skeleton."

The grisly curios continued to be displayed in museums around the world, including New Zealand, until the 1970s.

Herewini said it was around then that Maori began pushing for the repatriation of their ancestors' remains, often meeting fierce resistance from institutions which feared it would set a precedent that could eventually see them forced to return human remains such as ancient Egyptian mummies.

The French parliament last year voted overwhelmingly in favour of returning around 15 Maori toi moko after years of debate about the implications of the move.

"These are much more than simple museum pieces," French lawmaker Michele Tabarot said at the time.

"These are human remains and some of these people were deliberately murdered to satisfy a despicable trade."

Herewini said repatriating remains was an emotional issue for Maori, who had a strong connection to the land and wanted to give the warriors the dignity of a proper funeral.

"For us, it's taking an ancestor back home, so it's the whole process of remembering," he said. "They're family members and it's important for them to be returned home to their resting place.

"The iwi don't know exactly who these people are but they do know they're connected to the land. They think about the different battles they were in, the different lifestyle they lived and the possible connections they have with them directly."

While the remains are returned to their iwi whenever possible, Herewini said that a lack of historical records meant about a quarter of the heads and bones held at Te Papa could not be identified.

They are stored in acid-free boxes in a special area of the museum and never go on display. Even viewing images of toi moko is considered taboo in Maori culture, Herewini said.

Building a permanent mausoleum for the unidentified remains in Wellington is under consideration but the Ngati Kuri tribe, in the country's far north, has put forward an alternative proposal.

They want to bury them near Te Rerenga Wairua, or Cape Reinga, the northernmost point in New Zealand, where Maori believe the spirits of the dead depart for the afterlife.

"It's a special area where there are ancient burial sites," Ngati Kuri Trust chairman Graeme Neho said. "Provided the other iwi agree, we believe placing their final resting place there would be a comfort to them and we would be their guardians."

Regardless of the remains' final destination, Herewiri sad he would continue his quest to return Maori ancestors to their homeland.

"For me, it's about righting a wrong, whether that was committed by Maori or Europeans is really immaterial," he said.

"It's completing the circle and bringing these people back home."

P&G's popular campaign kicks off new ad

CINCINNATI – Last year's advertising sensation will soon make its 2011 debut, as Old Spice's suave, shirtless star returns in round three of his commercials for the Procter & Gamble Co. brand.

In an indicator of the campaign's popularity, there first is a 30-second "coming attractions"-type trailer going online Wednesday which takes you beyond former football player Isaiah Mustafa's muscular torso — to his "striking brown eyes," if he does say so himself.

In another effort to keep the buzz going for the YouTube hit, a yet-to-be-named "superfan" will get to debut the commercial on his or her own social network page or feed, sometime before Super Bowl Sunday.

The first of three commercials in the new promotion will start running on television Feb. 7, the day after the Super Bowl.

"We felt like we could build some excitement behind this latest launch, letting people know we're bringing Isaiah back, and continue to reward our fans across social media," said James Moorhead, brand manager for Old Spice, promoting a new collection of body washes, sprays and deodorants as a "scent vacation" that evokes exotic locales such as Komodo and Fiji (think "grass skirt.").

The first commercial a year ago with Mustafa, towel-clad in a shower and urging women to "Look at your man, now back at me," has generated tens of millions of online views and a new catch-phrase: "I'm on a horse." The second campaign last summer included 186 related videos in which Mustafa responded personally to digital queries from users including Ellen DeGeneres and Alyssa Milano.

For ABC's "Good Morning America," he suggested that President Barack Obama could improve standing with female voters by wearing only a towel and beginning his State of Union speeches with "Hello, Ladies!"

Obama didn't heed that advice Tuesday night. No matter, the "responses" campaign in its first week scored 21 million views, accounting for eight of the most popular 11 YouTube videos at the time.

The campaign and its ad agency, Portland, Ore.-based Wieden+Kennedy, won a shelf full of top advertising awards, while P&G said sales jumped by double digits for the seven-decade-old brand.

Can the new ad measure up to that success?

"Inherently, there's pressure when something has a lot of success and then you're trying to follow it up," said Wieden's Eric Kallman, who created the ad with Craig Allen.

Only Eight Homes Remain for Sale at Valencia Pointe by G.L. Homes

Valencia Pointe is nearly sold out.

Boynton Beach, FL (Vocus/PRWEB) January 26, 2011

New home construction starts in Palm Beach County increased in 2010 over 2009 and one of the communities leading the way is the active-adult, single-family home community of Valencia Pointe by G.L. Homes. With only eightremaining in Valencia Pointe in Boynton Beach, homebuyers will have to hurry to take advantage of the incredible new home value and lifestyle amenities found in this established South Florida community. The eight Quick Delivery , which are ready for immediate move-in at Valencia Pointe, include one stunning, fully furnished model.They are priced from the high $300,000s and feature two to three bedrooms, a den, two to two-and-a-half bathrooms and a two-car garage.

The spectacular Isabelle model home, priced at $475,900, features two bedrooms, a den, two baths and 1,730 square feet under air, and is available for immediate occupancy. Along with the Isabelle, seven additional gorgeous Quick Delivery Homes are ready for immediate occupancy with three of those fully furnished and priced with a special incentive on the furniture.

Residents at Valencia Pointe enjoy a full and active lifestyle. The community's vibrant atmosphere invites ample opportunity for socializing and forging lifelong friendships, setting Valencia Pointe apart from other active-adult communities. The centerpiece of Valencia Pointe is a magnificent 35,000 square-foot clubhouse with a multitude of rooms for classes and clubs.Also impressive is the grand ballroom that hosts Broadway style performances and special galas.There is a fully equipped fitness center offering classes, modern cardiovascular and conditioning machines and personal trainers.Residents can partake in basketball, swimming and tennis year-round, as well as other special events and outings planned by the community's lifestyle director.

For sales information, call 561-738-5100, or visit GLHOMES.com.

###

Valencia PointeG.L. Homes1-800-875-2177Email Information

GE lifts Dow, S&P 500; Nasdaq dips on Google

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Dow and S&P 500 rose on Friday as General Electric Co's (GE.N) earnings put a positive tone on the earnings season and the economic recovery, setting the market on track to snap a two-day losing skid.

But the Nasdaq slipped, pulled lower by Google (GOOG.O) paring early gains and turning negative, as confidence that CEO Larry Page would rejuvenate the No. 1 Internet search company wavered. Late Thursday, Google reported earnings that beat Wall Street's expectations.

Shares of General Electric, considered a bellwether for the economy and corporate America, rose 7.9 percent to $19.89 and hit their highest intraday level since November 2008. The stock, the top positive in the Dow, also scored its biggest daily percentage jump since March 2009.

GE reported stronger-than-expected earnings, helped by the recovery of its finance arm and a rise in revenue at its industrial units, including a sharp pickup in sales of locomotives.

"Companies like GE -- it's harder to turn a ship than it is a rowboat -- maybe it's time for these big companies to start outperforming," said Terry Morris, senior vice president and senior equity manager for National Penn Investors Trust Company in Reading, Pennsylvania.

"They've been left behind. Maybe they've got their ships turned now."

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) added 62.62 points, or 0.53 percent, to 11,885.42. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) gained 5.33 points, or 0.42 percent, to 1,285.82. But the Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) shed 5.54 points, or 0.20 percent, to 2,698,75.

Earlier, the Dow climbed to a fresh 52-week high at 11,905.48.

The S&P 500 is up nearly 9 percent since the start of December, but the index lost more than 1 percent over the past two days. Many technical and other analysts see the up trend continuing through at least the first half of the year, but some have forecast a pullback for the near term.

Google Inc shares were down 0.8 percent at $621.85 after hitting an intraday high of $641.73.

The action in Google shares is "not so much Google earnings, but a factor of the market itself," said Robert Francello, head of equity trading for Apex Capital in San Francisco.

"We had such a massive run in the end of December and early this month, we might be seeing selling into good earnings," he said. "The long, fast money (is) paring gains and preparing themselves for some type of consolidation short term."

Investors are also contending with options expiration, with January options on individual stocks set to expire after the close. The expiry sometimes adds to market volatility.

Tempering some of the earnings optimism were results from Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), the latest bank to disappoint investors.

Bank of America shares fell 1.2 percent to $14.36 after the largest U.S. bank by assets reported a second straight quarterly loss, driven by a $2 billion write-down in its mortgage business.

The results follow disappointing results earlier this week from Goldman Sachs (GS.N) and Wells Fargo (WFC.N). An index of bank shares, KBW Banks (.BKX), was up 1.7 percent, however.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Additional reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)