New Zealand

Among the Gesner Oceanic material, another group is said to come from New Zealand, catalogued as follows: two “Dresses of the Natives” and a spear from A.G. Crookshank, a sword and spear from A. Jackson, a bow and arrows from C.E. Ratchford and a bag from an unnamed source. For vessels cruising the Pacific, New Zealand was a relatively routine port of call. The Mechanic, for example, on its key voyage of 1838-1841, was reported there in November 1840 and February 1841 (Morning News, Saint John, 24 May 1841; New Brunswick Courier, 9 October 1841).

The objects have proved especially difficult to discover. Only A. Jackson’s sword bears a valid accession number, but one that was assigned later by either the Mechanics’ Institute or the Natural History Society. The sword may have been acquired in New Zealand, but must have originated in the Gilbert Islands, now the Republic of Kiribati, located southeast of Pohnpei. The misidentification of place of origin is likely part of a phenomenon well recognized by ethnologists, whereby the collector names the place of acquisition, possibly being unaware that their souvenir was made elsewhere. The two spears (from Jackson and Crookshank) purportedly from New Zealand have not yet been located and may also be from elsewhere. Among a number of Oceanic spears without accession numbers, five were recently attributed, two to Fiji and three to the Solomon Islands. As yet, no New Brunswick Museum spears have been clearly credited to New Zealand. In fact, there are several objects inscribed with the words “New Zealand”, all stylistically typical of other locales.

Given that the “New Zealand Bag” may not be from New Zealand, it, too, has escaped recognition. Although not securely identified, the bow most likely to have been the gift of C.E. Ratchford is another case in point. With the help of several specialists, it has been determined to be from Fiji, and quite unusual.