During the 1940s and 1950s koiwi tangata (human remains) were excavated at the Wairau Bar and taken to the Canterbury Museum. The excavations provided the scientific community with an abundance of data about the Polynesian settlement of New Zealand. For the Rangitane community of the Wairau the excavations have been a cause of distress. At the time of the excavations, tribal elder Peter MacDonald protested the removal of the koiwi tangata. Although his protests were unsuccessful, his legacy of protest was passed to subsequent generations. This article examines the history of the Wairau Bar and the excavations from a Rangitane perspective, contextualising the tribe's experiences within a longer history of European colonisation. The article discusses the negotiations between various institutions and Rangitane, which led to the repatriation of koiwi tangata in 2009. A condition of repatriation was that the koiwi tangata undergo scientific analysis, including mtDNA sequencing. Despite having some reservations initially, the research has had positive but unexpected outcomes for Rangitane. The article suggests that mtDNA sequencing, with its focus on maternal descent, has led to a growing interest in female ancestors generally.

中文翻译：

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遣返，和解与父权制倒置

在1940年代和1950年代，在Wairau酒吧发掘了koiwi tangata（人类遗骸），并带到坎特伯雷博物馆。这次发掘为科学界提供了有关新西兰波利尼西亚人定居点的大量数据。对于Wairau的Rangitane社区，发掘已成为困扰。在发掘时，部落长老彼得·麦克唐纳（Peter MacDonald）抗议拆除科威特七巧板。尽管他的抗议没有成功，但他的抗议遗产传给了后代。本文从朗根塔尼（Rangitane）的角度考察了Wairau Bar的历史和发掘过程，将部落在欧洲殖民历史中的经历背景化。本文讨论了各种机构与朗吉坦之间的谈判，导致2009年遣返了小苏打。遣返的条件是，对小苏打进行了科学分析，包括mtDNA测序。尽管起初有些保留，但该研究对兰甘丹产生了积极但出乎意料的结果。该文章表明，以母体血统为重点的mtDNA测序已引起对女性祖先的普遍兴趣。