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

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.

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

Just weeks after the Colonial Museum opened in 1865, someone slipped through the darkness and cut their way inside. A “short elderly man” and “experienced burglar”, vanished into the night with gold, precious stones, and a cache of taonga Māori.

In this episode, we retrace the break‑in, the hunt for culprit, and the strange trail of clues that led to the recovery of some taonga… while others disappeared into the city’s shadows. More than 160 years later, researchers are still following the threads, asking what was taken, what survived, and what stories these taonga continue to whisper.

Links

Find the blog here

Reward Poster

Glossary

Tanga Māori - Māori cultural treasures

Hoa - friend

Tātou - we, us, you (two or more)

Hei Tiki - greenstone neck pendant depicting human image.

Pounamu - greenstone, nephrite, jade.

Toki Poutangata - greenstone adze - used as a weapon by a chief and is a symbol of chieftainship.

Toki - adze

Ka kite ano - see you again/next time

A single line in an 1865 museum ledger.

A registration number from the wrong century.

A photograph altered to hide everything but a single carving.

This episode dives into the forensic world of provenance research as Amber traces the journey of a tauihu that disappeared inside the museum’s collection. With help from the next generation of museum researchers, and a lot of patient detective work, she uncovers how this taonga — the first ever recorded in the Colonial Museum — slipped into silence, and how it finally found its way back into the light.

Glossary

Atua - ancestor with continuing influence, god, supernatural being, deity

Huaki - washboard of a war canoe

Kōrero - speech, narrative, story, news account, discussion, conversation.

Manaia - stylised figure used in carving

Tauihu - prow or figurehead of a Māori war canoe

Taonga Māori - Māori cultural treasures

Takarangi - double spiral pattern in Māori carving, said to symbolise the revolving heavens.

Te Ao Māori - the Māori world

Waka - canoe

The Taonga Files opens with a journey into Aotearoa’s colonial past, tracing the origins of the country’s first national museum and the taonga Māori caught within its early collecting practices. Join curators Amber Aranui and Migoto Eria as they uncover how taonga were catalogued, misplaced, and silenced — and how provenance research today is helping restore their stories, whakapapa, and connections to iwi, hapū, and whānau. A powerful blend of history, detective work, and truth-telling, this episode lays the foundation for a series dedicated to giving voice back to taonga.

Link to Amber's Blog

Glossary

Aotearoa — New Zealand

Hapū — Sub-tribe; a kinship group descended from a common ancestor.

Hāpai Ahurea — “Cultural uplift/support”; Te Papa’s strategic priority centred on Māori communities and cultural practice.

Iwi — Tribe; a large kinship group descended from a founding ancestor.

Mātauranga Māori — Māori knowledge systems; traditional and contemporary Māori ways of understanding the world.

Mana — Spiritual authority, prestige, or power.

Māori — Indigenous people of Aotearoa.

Motu — The country or nation; often meaning “islands” or “the whole country.”

Taonga — Treasures; cultural items, heirlooms, or objects of deep significance.

Taonga Māori — Māori cultural treasures.

Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa) — National Museum of New Zealand; “Container of Treasures.”

Te Tiriti o Waitangi — The Treaty of Waitangi (1840), the foundational agreement between Māori and the Crown.

Waka — Canoe

Whakapapa — Genealogy; interconnected relationships between people, land, and taonga.

Whānau — Family; extended family network.

Whenua — Land; also placenta, emphasising the connection between people and the land.

Welcome to The Taonga Files

In our very first episode, we open the doors to The Taonga Files and introduce the kaupapa behind the podcast. Join Amber Aranui, Migoto Eria‑Rowell, and Monica Tromp — three wāhine with decades of experience across archaeology, curation, science, repatriation, museum practice, and community‑driven research — as we share who we are, why we do this mahi, and what listeners can expect from the journey ahead.

We talk about our different pathways into the heritage sector, the moments that shaped our careers, and the responsibility that comes with working with taonga and the communities connected to them. This episode sets the foundation for everything to come: provenance, reconnection, truth‑telling, and the stories that museums don’t always show.

No matter which season you start listening to, this is the best place to start as it introduces the foundations of the podcast.

You’ll hear about:

• Our backgrounds and what brought each of us into this mahi

• Why provenance research matters — and why it’s anything but boring

• The emotional, cultural, and historical weight carried by taonga

• How science, storytelling, and community kōrero come together in this space
• What you can expect from future episodes, including case studies, interviews, and behind‑the‑scenes insights

This is your invitation into the world behind the labels and the glass cases — a world of journeys, relationships, and stories waiting to be reconnected.

Follow us, subscribe, and join us as we open the first file.

Every taonga has a story. Let’s explore them together.

Glossary

Taonga - possession, object, treasured possession, something prized

Whakapapa - genealogy, lineage, descent

Mātauranga - knowledge, wisdom

Māori - indigenous person of Aotearoa/New Zealand, normal, natural, ordinary

Moriori - indigenous person of the Chatham Islands/Rēkohu

Tūpuna/tupuna - ancestors/ancestor

Whenua - land, country, ground

Iwi - extended kinship group, nation, tribe, bone

Aotearoa - New Zealand

Wānanga - forum, conference, seminar

Mana motuhake - autonomy, self-governance, self-determination

Pakeke - mature adult

Kaumātua - elder

Kaimahi - worker, staff, employee

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.