Latest news with #PittRiversMuseum
RTÉ News
26-05-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
Kinship: Artist Dorothy Cross on returning a mummified body to Egypt
We present an extract from Kinship, the new book by celebrated artist Dorothy Cross. Kinship is a unique undertaking in the artistic career of one of Ireland's leading artists. This book, and the artistic project it is part of, charts the act of returning a mummified body of a man to Egypt. Kinship is the act of returning the ancient body of a mummified man to Egypt. It follows in a series of large-scale art projects created over the past three decades set in extraordinary locations such as epic natural sea pools, slate quarries, handball alleys, cathedrals and naval ships. Ghostship (1999), where a decommissioned lightship, was painted with phosphorescent paint and glowed in Dublin Bay, creating a glimmering phantom. Lightships had once marked dangerous underwater reefs all around the coast of Ireland – floating lighthouses placed to warn passing vessels of hidden danger. They were manned by a crew who lived aboard the engineless ships, which were moored bow and stern to the seabed below. As children, our father would bring us out in our boat to visit the Daunt lightship, carrying gifts of cigarettes, fruit and newspapers to the men. By the 1990s most lightships were decommissioned and replaced by satellite buoys. In Heartship (2019), a human heart was placed on board an Irish naval vessel, which sailed up the River Lee in Cork city. It took four years to find a human heart to borrow for the piece. Many hearts are stored in the world's anatomy departments, but laws now prohibit their use. Finally, I borrowed a heart that had been found in a crypt in Cork city in 1863 and acquired by the British army officer General Pitt Rivers, who gave his collection to the University of Oxford, where it remains to this day as the Pitt Rivers Museum. The heart, wrapped in lead, was ideal – nameless, genderless and historic – representing us all. Heartship honoured the thousands of hearts that drowned and remain on the Mediterranean seabed. The heart was held on board a ship that had rescued over 18,000 migrants while stationed in the Mediterranean. It sailed up the river in brilliant sunshine, music pulsing from the ship. The ethereal voice of Lisa Hannigan, with glass-armonica and water-phone, filled the valley. The only figure visible on board was a woman dressed in grey, wandering around the deck. Swallows flew across the bow and people gathered on the dock. The crew docked with perfect choreography – and then Lisa sang from the deck. Listen: Dorothy Cross talks to Brendan O'Connor Some time after Heartship, I remembered a story of an Egyptian mummy that had been in University College Cork (UCC) for decades. I had been told about it years earlier by my Aunt May. May was my father Fergus' oldest sister. She was born in 1899. Her house, Monteville, was full of treasures: a doll's-house replica of Monteville, a grand piano, a rocking horse, X-rays, damask and china, bones and intelligence. She had studied medicine during the curfews of the civil war, lying on her belly on the floor with a candle to illuminate her texts as guns fired across the city. She offered me a room in her basement to use as a studio when I graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute and returned to Ireland in 1983. Remembering her story of the Egyptian body, I felt compelled to return the body and sarcophagus to his homeland – a simple act of kinship. Aunt May's husband, Billy O'Donovan, became professor of Pathology in the early 1940s. Building work was being done at the time in the lecture hall of the anatomy department where workers discovered a large sarcophagus containing a mummified human being. A rumour circulated that my uncle had hidden it under the floorboards. This wasn't the case however, it had been placed there for storage several years before he arrived, unbeknownst to him. There is no such thing as ownership with cargo like this. There is guardianship and fellowship. In the early 1900s mummified bodies were exhumed in Egypt and legally sold to collectors and museums around the world. The official version on how this body arrived in Cork is that in 1928 he was gifted by an African missionary priest to the then president of UCC. Some research was done on the mummy in the 1970s by Helen Maloney of UCC. It is the body of a man, believed to have died of natural causes, in his late forties or early fifties. He may have been a priest from Thebes. He was not high-ranking. He was not Tutankhamun. He dates from the Ptolemaic period, 332–30 BC. The sarcophagus which contained the mummy dates from 300 years earlier than the body and was originally occupied by a higher-ranking man named Hor, relatives of whom are in the Museum of Egyptology in Turin, Italy. In 2020 I began to research and view the sarcophagus in UCC, helped by custodians there. At this time I understood that the mummy was in the National Museum in Dublin undergoing preservation treatment. Before travelling to Dublin to view the mummy, I approached a restoration expert located near my home on the remote west coast of Ireland, to ask him about the cost of restoring such an ancient mummy. While in the office of the restoration centre, showing a photograph of the sarcophagus, I mentioned that the mummy was in Dublin. The director, however, pointed to the ceiling above my head and said, 'The mummy is not in Dublin, it is here!' It had been in storage five miles from my house for the last twelve years! The body had been sent to Letterfrack for preservation, when students in Cork rallied to have it sent back to Egypt. It was in bad shape when it arrived in Letterfrack. A restoration expert from the British Museum stabilised it and it was then kept in humidity-controlled storage for the following years. In the beginning things moved quickly. John FitzGerald, poet and head librarian of UCC, enabled us to view the sarcophagus, which remained in a crate under the stairs of the new library with students nonchalantly running up and down, entirely unaware that an ancient coffin lay below. In March 2022 the Kinship Group (Dorothy Cross, John FitzGerald, Mary Hickson and Maeve- Ann Austen) travelled to Cairo. We were aided by the then minister for foreign affairs, Simon Coveney, and then Irish ambassador, Sean O'Regan, in Egypt. We met with the top archaeologists and Egyptologists, notably Dr Mostafa Waziry. He was intrigued by the story of this 'Irish' mummy and agreed to have him returned, to be housed in the Museum of Egyptology in Cairo. Originally my idea for Kinship was to place the body on a ship in Ireland; to sail down the Bay of Biscay, through the Straits of Gibraltar and across the Mediterranean sea, to arrive home to Cairo – from where it had departed one hundred years earlier – with music from both cultures heralding it along the way. Kinship would draw attention to the present-day plight of thousands of migrants who, fleeing their countries, attempt to cross those waters. After these meetings in Cairo, however, it was decided, sadly, that travel had to be by air and not by ship. In the Autumn of 2023 UCC requested the return of the body to Cork from Letterfrack. At the time we were considering a documentary film to accompany what we thought would be an imminent and systematic return. We rented the most beautiful hearse from O'Connor's Funeral Home to carry him south. It turned out the great-nephew of my cousin Margaret O'Connor, daughter of Aunt May was one of the two men who arrived that day, both dressed in black suits, to bring the body back to Cork. We arranged flowers around the crate containing the body and he was driven through the wilds of the western mountains and valleys to the south. The idea for this book formed early in the journey. I wished to hear the voices of brilliant writers in connection with the idea of loss and migration, displacement, time and transition. To bind him in their words. I am so thrilled by the written pieces. They are varied and touching and wrap around the body of an unknown person. I would like to thank the writers for their work which illuminates the anonymity of the returning man, holding him within stories and thoughts. There is no such thing as ownership with cargo like this. There is guardianship and fellowship. As I write, five years have passed since I was first drawn to the idea of returning this man to his homeland. It felt like such a natural and simple act. The body has now been stored for over two years in a warehouse full of university artefacts, the crate gilded in anticipation of the journey. Months have passed; licences have been sourced from the Irish and Egyptian authorities. He was laid to rest over 2000 years ago, which is a short period in relationship to time but long in relationship to our own brevity on the planet. He will return home, however long it takes.
Times
05-05-2025
- Science
- Times
Posthumous degree for Maori princess, first indigenous woman at Oxford
The University of Oxford is to award a posthumous degree to a Maori princess who is believed to be the first indigenous woman to enrol there. Makereti Papakura, born Margaret Pattison Staples-Browne in New Zealand in 1873, studied at the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Society of Home Students, now St Anne's College, in 1927, where she read anthropology. Her research considered the customs of her Te Arawa tribe from a female and indigenous perspective. She never graduated: in April 1930, three weeks before she was due to present her thesis, she died unexpectedly. With permission of Makereti's family, her dissertation was edited and later published posthumously by her friend and fellow Oxford anthropologist, TK Penniman, under the title The Old-Time Maori. The research
Telegraph
05-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Oxford to award degree to Maori princess who died 100 years ago
The University of Oxford is to award a posthumous degree to a Maori princess who died almost 100 years ago. Makereti Papakura, who was born Margaret Pattison Thom in 1873 in New Zealand, enrolled at Oxford in 1927 to study anthropology. Ms Papakura is believed to have been the first indigenous woman to matriculate at the university. Her research focused on the customs and practices of her Te Arawa tribal group, offering an analysis from a female perspective. She undertook her studies at the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Society of Home Students, now St Anne's College. However, the princess died unexpectedly in April 1930, three weeks before she was due to present her thesis. Her dissertation was later edited and published posthumously by TK Penniman, her friend and fellow anthropologist, under the title The Old-Time Maori. The work is recognised by the Royal Society of New Zealand as the first ethnographic study of Maori life authored by a Maori scholar. The decision to award the degree was approved by Oxford's Education Committee following an application by the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography (SAME), supported by St Anne's College and the Pitt Rivers Museum. The university announced the award last week. The degree will be conferred at a ceremony later this year in the Sheldonian Theatre, presided over by Prof Irene Tracey, the vice-chancellor. Members of Ms Papakura's family and representatives of the Maori community are expected to attend. 'Makereti is an inspiring figure' Prof Clare Harris, head of SAME, said: 'We are delighted that the extraordinary achievements of Makereti, the first indigenous woman to study at Oxford, have been recognised by the University of Oxford with the award of a posthumous MPhil degree. 'Makereti is an inspiring figure, not only to many in Aotearoa [New Zealand], but to students and scholars around the world.' June Northcroft Grant, on behalf of Ms Papakura's family and tribe [Tuhourangi, Ngati Wahiao], said: 'We are grateful to Oxford University for this tribute to Makereti's memory and to all those who have supported her story in the years since her passing. 'It is a testament to the lasting power of education, culture, and the determination of one woman to ensure that Māori stories would not be forgotten. 'We have always known the sacrifices she made to pursue education and the strength it took for her to continue, often in the face of considerable challenges. 'We are especially humbled that her customary tribal practices and the scholarship she possessed have been acknowledged with such careful and respectful consideration by the University's Education Committee. 'This recognition belongs to Makereti, to our ancestors, and to the Maori community worldwide. 'He toi whakairo, he mana tangata (Where there is creative excellence, there is human dignity).'
NZ Herald
30-04-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Te Arawa's Mākereti Papakura to receive posthumous degree from Oxford University
The school said she enrolled in 1922 to read anthropology at the Pitt Rivers Museum, where much of the teaching was conducted at the time, and at the Society of Home Students, now St Anne's College. In her groundbreaking research for her studies at Oxford, she explored the customs of her people of Te Arawa from a female perspective, the school said. Her scholarship, combined with her indigenous worldview, earned her the respect of many Oxford academics at the time, and went on to be celebrated by members of Māori communities and researchers worldwide. Papakura died in 1930, just weeks before she was due to present her thesis. With the agreement of her family, her good friend, Rhodes Scholar and fellow Oxford anthropologist TK Penniman, posthumously published her work, in a book titled The Old-Time Māori. It became the first ethnographic study published by a Māori author and was recognised as such by the New Zealand Royal Society. The School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography applied to the University of Oxford's Education Committee to request that Papakura be posthumously awarded the degree of Master of Philosophy in Anthropology. The application was supported by St Anne's College and the Pitt Rivers Museum, to which Papakura and her family donated numerous artefacts and papers both during her lifetime and after her death. The Education Committee's decision to grant the request was been warmly welcomed both in Oxford and in Aotearoa New Zealand, the school said. The degree would be awarded at a ceremony presided over by the university's vice-chancellor later this year in Oxford's Sheldonian theatre. Members of Papakura's family and representatives of the Māori community were expected to attend. Professor Clare Harris, Head of the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, said they were delighted that the 'extraordinary achievements of Mākereti, the first indigenous woman to study at Oxford', had been recognised by the University of Oxford with the award of a posthumous MPhil degree. 'Mākereti is an inspiring figure, not only to many in Aotearoa New Zealand but to students and scholars around the world.' June Northcroft Grant, on behalf of Papakura's family and tribe (Tūhourangi – Ngāti Wāhiao), said: 'We are grateful to Oxford University for this tribute to Mākereti's memory and to all those who have supported her story in the years since her passing. It is a testament to the lasting power of education, culture, and the determination of one woman to ensure that Māori stories would not be forgotten. 'We have always known the sacrifices she made to pursue education and the strength it took for her to continue, often in the face of considerable challenges. 'We are especially humbled that her customary tribal practices and the scholarship she possessed have been acknowledged with such careful and respectful consideration by the university's Education Committee. 'This recognition belongs to Mākereti, to our ancestors, and to the Māori community worldwide.
BBC News
30-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
University of Oxford posthumous award to first indigenous student
A university has awarded a posthumous degree to its first indigenous student more than 100 years after she began her in New Zealand in 1873, Mākereti Papakura is believed to be the first indigenous woman to enrol at the University of Oxford. The university said she had explored the customs of her people of the Māori Te Arawa iwi tribe from a female perspective through her "groundbreaking" research. But she died in 1930, just weeks before she was due to present her thesis. Prof Irene Tracey, Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford, will award the degree of MPhil in Anthropology at a ceremony in the Sheldonian theatre later in the year. Ms Papakura was born Margaret Pattison Thom at Matatā in the Bay of Plenty to an English father, William Thom, and a Māori mother, Pia Ngarotū Te enrolled in 1922 to read anthropology at Pitt Rivers Museum, where much of the teaching was conducted at the time, and at the Society of Home Students, now St Anne's university said her scholarship, combined with her indigenous worldview, "earned her the respect of many Oxford academics at the time".It added that it had gone on "to be celebrated by members of Māori communities and researchers worldwide".After her sudden death, her family agreed that her good friend Thomas Kenneth Penniman, a Rhodes Scholar and fellow Oxford anthropologist, published her book titled The Old-Time Māori became the first study of Māori life published by a Māori author and is recognised as such by the New Zealand Royal Society. 'An inspiring figure' The posthumous award was requested by the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, which applied to the university's education application was supported by St Anne's College and the Pitt Rivers Museum, to which Ms Papakura and her family donated numerous artefacts and papers both during her lifetime and after her death. Prof Clare Harris, head of the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, called Ms Papakura "an inspiring figure, not only to many in Aotearoa [which has been used when referring to New Zealand in Māori] but to students and scholars around the world".Members of her family and representatives of the Māori community are expected to attend the award Northcroft Grant, on behalf of Ms Papakura's family and Tūhourangi – Ngāti Wāhiao tribe, said her story was "a testament to the lasting power of education, culture, and the determination of one woman to ensure that Māori stories would not be forgotten."This recognition belongs to Mākereti, to our ancestors, and to the Māori community worldwide". You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
