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Chaos and Order

Ancient Egyptian religion was complex and polytheistic, with multiple deities representing and controlling aspects of the natural environment and concepts such as love and creativity. The worship and rituals associated with these deities formed a core part of ancient Egyptian life and maintaining Ma’at, or divine order, peace and balance.

Discovering
'The Homeopathic Echo'

During a recent collection shift, Paula Legel, Associate Curator, Heritage Publications stumbled upon ‘The Homeopathic Echo’ and immediately knew she had found something special. To find a specialist health magazine published in Auckland as early as 1855 was astonishing. Read on to discover the unlikely story of this unique taonga.

SAVE OUR TREES

Kauri forests, once extensive in the Auckland, Northland and Waikato regions, were decimated by the logging industry of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Auckland was built on kauri both literally and figuratively – kauri logging provided the materials for physically building the growing city’s infrastructure, and from 1850-1900, kauri gum was Auckland’s main export. It is now estimated that no more than 4% of original kauri forests remain. What little kauri forest we have left is now at risk, but there are things we can do to help protect our precious ngahere (forests).

How did Auckland Museum get its Egyptian collection?

Auckland Museum houses nearly 2000 artefacts from Egypt. Their ages ranging from 10,000 years old, to the time of the pharaohs, and more recently. But how did these items find their way to a Museum on the other side of the world? In this blog, Dr Josh Emmitt, Curator Archaeology, lifts the lid on the not often told history of museum acquisitions.

Gilbert Archey,
Monuments Man

Art and cultural heritage are often among the early casualties of war, suffering destruction and theft amidst the chaos of conflict. To combat this, in WWII the Allied forces mobilised the Monuments Men and Women to protect the art and cultural monuments of war-struck nations. Read on to learn the fascinating story of our very own Monuments Man, and former Auckland Museum director Sir Gilbert Archey.

Worth their weight in gold

There's a new, and very old addition to the Ancient Worlds Gallery. A selection of coins from antiquity are now on display. Discover their stories in this blog by Deirdre Harrison Collection Manager Archaeology, and what they can tell us about about the societies that used them.

Occupying Force:
New Zealand’s Invasion of Samoa August 29, 1914

The display representing New Zealand’s occupation of Samoa, this country’s opening action in the First World War, may be small but the objects in the case are anything but mute. They embody the voices of the participants whose collision in that wartime action significantly changed the trajectories of three nations: Samoa, New Zealand and Germany.

Remembering the Queen

Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-serving British monarch in history, and ruled over a period of history that saw Aotearoa New Zealand establish its distinct identity. Here, we reflect on the Queen's time as head of state, sharing some interesting items from our collection.

The Mystery of Auckland Museum's Rooftop Residents

When you think of a Tuatara's natural habitat, a war memorial museum is probably the last place that comes to mind. In this blog, Grace Yee, Collection Technician for the IDEA project shares with us the peculiar story of Auckland Museum's rooftop tuatara, who lived on top of the Museum until the mid 1940s.

Children's collections

Childhood collections are nothing to be toyed with. A hobby collection can be serious business, helping future generations get a glimpse into by-gone days and sometimes from the unintended unique perspective of a child. Having recently processed a collection of 182 pencils gathered up by a young lad during the late 1960s-early 1970s, Sarndra Lees - Collection Manager, History, examines what this little treasure trove can teach us today.

Digitisation and Beyond

Without proper record keeping, the stories behind our taonga would be at risk of being forgotten. Digitising collection records is not only a way of preserving the identities of collection items, but also a way to improve access for people across the world to engage with their taonga and maintain those connections. In this article, Lauren Boesley, team member of the IDEA (Improved Documentation Enhanced Access) project shares her work digitising the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander collection, and the complexities of that mahi.

O le Sulu Samoa
A legacy of light in the archives

For Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa - Samoan Language Week we take a closer look at O le Sulu Samoa, one of the oldest and longest-running news periodicals in the Pacific. ʻSulu’ means ʻtorch’ or ‘light’ in Samoan. Published primarily in the Samoan language by the London Missionary Society from 1839, early issues of the Sulu are rare and difficult to access today with holdings largely held in archives outside Samoa. In this blog, our guest contributors Litara Ieremia-Allan, Wanda Ieremia-Allan and Rev Dr Featunaʻi Liuaʻana reveal myriad ways the Sulu continues to shine its light, and the intellectual inheritance this measina (treasure) continues to bestow upon present and future generations.

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