Pounamu and the history of knowledge
Using funds secured from the Warwick Society & Culture Spotlight Seed Grant Scheme, Michael Bycroft from History ran a one-day symposium on Pounamu and the History of Knowledge.
The event was co-organised with Rachel Wesley, a leader of the Ōtākau rūnākā. This is a branch of Kāi Tahu, an iwi (tribe) also known as Ngāi Tahu. The iwi is based in Te Waipounamu, the Māori name for the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Pounamu, also known as ‘greenstone,’ ‘nephrite,’ ‘bowenite,’ and ‘New Zealand jade,’ is a cornerstone of the country’s history, embodying the essence of the land and the people. The stone proved to be an ideal vantage point for examining wider issues about the history of knowledge.
Floor display used at the Tūhuru symposium to show the geology of pounamu, courtesy of Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly GNS Science).
A range of pounamu objects held by the Natural History Museum in Oxford, UK. Photo by Michael Bycroft.
'Hand-weapon, patu pounamu, of nephrite.' Currently on display in the Cook Voyage Collections exhibit at the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. Photo courtesy of the online catalogue of the Pitt Rivers Museum, catalogue number 1886.1.1150.