Kiwa Hammond plays the kōauau (Māori flute) at the ceremony Photo: Peter Heller
This month Kiwa Hammond has been part of an Aotearoa contingent in Germany to retrieve skeletal remains of karapuna, Tā Imi Moriori ancestors of Rēkohu (the Chatham Islands) and Māori tipuna from various institutions and museums. Since June 1 there have been seven ceremonies in six locations.
These ancestors had been unceremoniously dug up by colonisers for science and to be traded as curiosities, often illegally.
A leader in the revival of the Moriori language and customs, as well as Te Reo Māori, Hammond (Ngāti Kahungunu o Te Wairoa, Ngāti Ruapani, Rongowhakaata, Moriori, English, Irish, Scottish) only learnt of his Moriori roots 25 years ago.
Kiwa Hammond with rōpū address their tīpuna at the public ceremony Photo: Peter Heller
