Historic Stained Glass Replica Installed

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Historic Stained Glass Replica Installed

Dunedin (Monday, 26 January 2014) – Toitū Otago Settlers Museum has installed a replica of the stained glass window from Kotahitanga Church in Moeraki into its permanent Kāi Tahu exhibition.

Toitū Public Programmes Developer Rua McCallum, who also implements Kāi Tahu projects at the Museum, says the window features Matiaha Tiramōrehu, a significant leader who protested against the loss of Māori land, beginning the work that became the Ngāi Tahu Claim.

“Tiramōrehu was viewed as a chief and a learned man of the highest standing, born at Kaiapoi into a high ranking family of the Ngāi Tūahuriri hapū of Ngāi Tahu and a descendant of Tūrākautahi the founder of Kaiapoi Pā through his father Karaki.

“He fought against Te Rauparaha at Ōraumoa, and then led 100 survivors of the Kaiapoi siege to Moeraki where a whaling station had just been established by John Hughes and William Haberfield in the late 1830s.”

In 1840, a Christian mission was established at Waikouaiti by Wesleyan, James Watkin. Three years later, Tiramōrehu was baptised into that faith and took the name Matiaha, a Māori version of Matthias, the name of the 13th Christian apostle (who replaced Judas).

Protesting against the land injustices, Tiramōrehu noted that the food gathering sites had been destroyed at Moeraki and reserves that had been allocated to the natives were too small to live off. In 1854, he was first to make a formal complaint, saying, “This is but the start of our complaining to you Governor Eyre, although you should return to England, we shall never cease complaining to the white people who may thereafter come here.”

The stained glass replica was created by Exhibition Designer Tim Cornelius and is a digital reproduction placed on acrylic. The window has been put on illuminated display in the Ara-i-te-uru exhibition space.

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