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Mythical Tane presented as fact at Te Papa

I took my youngest child to Te Papa today (it's the national museum of NZ). I found the whole experience quite boring, though, to be fair, the earthquake room is very cool.

However, I was shocked to find that one of the tree walkway exhibits showing dead bugs in jars had a little blurb up on (paraphrasing here) how Tane, the guardian of the forest provides all these bugs as food from his larder for the creatures of the forest to live on.

Maori mythology is quite interesting from a fairy tale point of view, so my beef is not so much that it is promoted in such a way. It's more that where this little blurb was located was in a scientific portion of the museum, in amongst scientific and verifiable facts about animals and creatures in NZ.

As far as I can tell, no one is seriously proposing that Tane actually exists and provides food for animals in NZ forests. It is accepted as a myth. Yet this museum blurb was not identified as a Maori myth, it was presented in the same way as all the verifiable facts in that portion of the museum.

What next? A display on the attributes of Taniwha complete with a skeletal representation of how one might look? That would certainly be appropriate, what with giant "artworks" on Level 5 of Holy Bible verses on black and grey landscape backgrounds signifying who knows what. Probably in line with the unhappy preacher man holding a book and a cross in the highly stylised modern Maori meeting area.

I liked the old museum. My favourite display was the Ancient Egyptian one. But, the cafe on Level 4, especially the brownies was very nice. So, I suppose Te Papa has something going for it. That and the earthquake room. Maybe eventually Te Papa will be renamed to the high church of Maori spirituality, complete with all the proofs that Tane really does provide food for the creatures of the forests in NZ.

Comments

  1. Tane and the fairy tales has good company.

    Like the mythical Jesus making the world in 6 days, the Resurrection, body & blood of Christ, et al.

    I know this is a religious blog but don't show your intolerance.

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  2. Presenting facts alongside fairy tales, eh? Whatever will be next? Teaching Intelligent Design aongside Evolution in schools? nah - nobody would be stupid enough to advocate that.

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  3. Barry, a dissenting opinion is not necessarily proof of intolerance, and you might be missing the substance of the post.

    And as it happens, there is a fair amount of evidence to suggest Jesus is not a mythical person.

    You are making a common mistake in assuming all religions are "equal", and that they are also "equal" to mythology and folk stories.

    Still, I think Lucyna has a knack for bringing the debate to the masses. A violin virtuoso could not play these strings any better...

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  4. Barry, do you actually believe that Tane is real? Can you prove it?

    As ZenTiger says, there is a fair amount of evidence that Jesus really existed. Eye witness accounts, even.

    But I'm sure people such as yourself would be aghast at anyone suggesting in a scientific part of a NZ national museum any hint that our Creator God made the universe. Let's just keep that part out of it, shall we?

    Fair enough. No disagreement from me there. Until NZ's national religion is Christianity, I'm quite happy for that to be so.

    However, when did Maori mythology become our national religion, to be treated as fact by the national museum?

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  5. Well, I certainly got the wrong impression from that particular plaque about Tane providing bugs for the forest.

    I thought Tane was a dude who worked for DoC, who was going around the forest dumping insects, because the 1080 poison drops had killed them all.

    That's what I explained to the nice couple from Holland, who were puzzled as to the somewhat out of context reference. The tour group from Japan overheard my explanation were so impressed at my in depth knowledge, they asked me to be their guide for the rest of the exhibit, which I was happy to do.

    I certainly helped that day to increase the knowledge held of NZ by tourists.

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  6. Ummm, Lucyna, surely just becasue a religion is designated 'the national religion' does not mean its theology becomes scientific fact? (and hence worthy of a place in any museum).

    I have no problem with myth or religious views being summarised in a museum, so long as the display clearly distinguishes between what are scientific facts and what are theological beliefs.

    Otherwise, it takes all the fun out of having religious beliefs!

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  7. Giant "artworks" on Level 5 of Holy Bible verses on black and grey landscape backgrounds signifying who knows what

    You mean McCahon? Works about the struggle of leading a religious life in a secular world? Set in New Zealand? I thought that might appeal to you for some reason

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  8. Guys I am merely comparing shall we say, the Taniwha with the Loaves & Fishes.

    Both are fairy stories and I agree, should not be included in the realm of scientific dialogue.

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  9. Lucyna
    I had the same experience when I attended the observatory with my sons class a six years ago.
    They told the same tales and had a nice little annimated video.

    On the way home I explained to him that it was all a myth and not necessarily true.
    to which he replied why did they show it like it was!
    mike mckee

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  10. I can only assume the museum is not exhibiting let alone purporting Jesus/religion etc anyway. One doesn't normally go to a museum for Jesus. So not sure why Barry made that initial comment.

    However in saying that wasn't it Te Papa that had that display 'Virgin in a condom' not long after it opened? Man, they are truly sick.

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  11. I thought the whole point of the post was that Maori myth was being presented as fact in the national museum?
    Not sure at all why Barry drags utterly irrelevant opinions about Christianity into it. Or did I miss something?

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  12. "..when did Maori mythology become our national religion.."

    Come on Lucyna, anything but Christianity, you know know that by now, leftists don't care for facts, otherwise they would have said it was a myth. They only yearn for facts when it comes to Christianity.

    "Not sure at all why Barry drags utterly irrelevant opinions about Christianity into it."

    Yeah, could even have said something against the Islamic faith, nah, much easier to give a free kick to the Christians, they don't kick back.

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  13. How do we know Tane isn't the god of the forests? A Biblical world view provides a view of this world as containing spiritual powers. What do we accept as evidence for or against? The words myth and religion are bandied about in the same sentence but a myth is a 'story' while a religion is a shared set of traditions that grow from a belief. The story of Tane may be a myth but it doesn't necessary follow that a spiritual power linked to a domain doesn't operate in Maoridom.

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  14. That would certainly be appropriate, what with giant "artworks" on Level 5 of Holy Bible verses on black and grey landscape backgrounds signifying who knows what.

    Don't you know who Colin McCahon is?

    Ignorance is painful. To the people who have to live with it, that is.

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  15. To everyone that thinks that Colin McCahon is an "artist" - if it's not beautiful or inspiring, then it's not art. Whoever the guy was (and I really don't care to find out), I was not impressed in the slightest by his attempts at art. The talking cardboard box in the corner was more amusing.

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  16. Lucyna, don't you know? In order to appreciate art, you first need to know who made it.

    Once one has a reputation, then anything they do can cause pseudo-intellectuals to just gush with praise.

    Ignorance is not necessarily painful. In this case, it appears to avoid bias and allows you to decide whether or not you like something, in spite of the name attached to it.

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  17. What goes on at Te Papa does not interest me. It is the Rainbow's End of NZ culture. The architecture says it all.

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  18. ...if it's not beautiful or inspiring, then it's not art.

    You omitted an important and necessary clause - something along the lines of "In my opinion..." or "As far as I'm concerned..."

    I agree with you re a museum presenting Tane as fact though.

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  19. What George said, growing up in Northern Europe I have a slightly different view of what a Museum should be. My first and only visit to Te Papa was underwhelming in the extreme. Two emotions fought for dominance.
    1 Anger at the money spent.
    2. Embarrassment at the feebleness of the content.

    I guess seeing the Tutankhamen exhibit at the British museum as a child set the benchmark for me.

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  20. Barnsley Bill - your visit must have been extremely underwhelming by looking at your first emotion:
    "1 Anger at the money spent."

    ...since the admission is free!!

    Obviously your felt Te Papa should be paying you to be there.

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  21. Sean, remember that they ask for donations on entry (Please donate or we will have to charge an Entry Fee).

    Thus, one pays money to avoid paying money.

    And the cafe is pretty expensive. Throw in parking costs and paying for the one-off exhibitions such as the Whales and Back-In-Time shows and Cullen will soon be revising the surplus upwards.

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  22. Sean, yes my visit was underwhelming. My anger at the money spent was in reference to the taxpayer dollars spent to create this temple of mediocrity.
    First problem........ It was built in the shithole that is Wellington, when NZ's most magnificent building situated in the Auckland domain was at that time falling apart and would have made a much more sensible venue for a cause as worthy as a national museum.
    Second problem... the building is hideous.
    Third problem... What a waste of prime waterfront.
    The most ridiculous thing in the place was the bank of space invaders to suck money from kids, however it was a close run battle for most ridiculous thing with the corrugated iron holden coming a close second.

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  23. BB, I dunno if can agree with your description of Wellington--I've lived in Auckland but Wellington seems to be a far more interesting place. The climate is another question though..
    Absolutely agree about the Auckland War Memorial museum-- What a magnificent building!

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