Whales Tohorā will be opened with a traditional Māori Dawn Ceremony on 15 October at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC at 6.15am. Participating in this significant ceremony will be the New Zealand Ambassador to the United States Roy Ferguson, the National Geographic President and CEO John Fahey, and representatives from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Whales Tohorā attracted over 140,000 visitors during its debut showing at Te Papa earlier this year. Showcasing amazing and rare specimens from Te Papa’s whale collection, one of the largest in the world, the interactive exhibition tells the stories of whales’ importance to cultures in the Pacific, especially Māori, and contains ancient and contemporary whalebone treasures, such as weapons and chiefly adornments. Whales Tohorā also examines the bloody history of whaling in New Zealand and invites visitors to discover the intricacies of whale biology.
The dawn ceremony will begin after a group of Māori warriors, dressed in traditional clothing and carrying taiaha (fighting staffs), blow a conch to open the ceremony. Kuia (female elders) will perform karanga (calls of welcome) while leading the delegations to the building. The warriors will lead the group into the exhibition, followed by the tribe's Tohunga (spiritual leaders). The Tohunga begin chanting ancient prayers as the rest of the party enter. The whole group proceeds to a set aside area for whaikōrero (speeches) from the Kaumatua (male elders) which weave together the past, present and future. When the speeches are over, the ritual of shaking hands and pressing noses is undertaken, and the ceremony concludes with the sharing of food.
The dawn ceremony acknowledges the treasures’ connection to iwi (tribes) and Aotearoa New Zealand and formally entrusts the care of these treasures to the National Geographic Museum. An official evening function will take place in the evening.
Whales Tohorā was made possible through the support of the New Zealand Government.
> Visit the Whales Tohorā exhibition website
> Visit National Geographic Museum's website
> National Geographic's press release
Download a printable version (pdf, 104 kB)